


One More Time

by neon_bible



Series: Discovery [3]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Adoption, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Choking, Crack, Ewoks, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Minor Character Death, Rough Sex, but not a character we like, but not the sexy kind, contemporary space opera comedy, more choking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-18 22:37:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8178680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neon_bible/pseuds/neon_bible
Summary: In the final installments of the Discovery series: After getting to know each other at the First Order Weaponry Summit and falling in love during their 6-week trial relationship period, Kylo and Hux hit a wall, and have to figure out how to grapple with major life changes without losing sight of their love for each other. Sequel to Veridis Quo and Digital Love.





	1. Barometric Pressure

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry about the eternity that has passed since Digital Love ended. Life has been good, but so busy! BUT, I finally have the final four parts of this series written and ready to go. I’ll post twice a week (probably Saturday and Wednesday) for the next two weeks!

 

Hux looked out of his _Finalizer_ office window over the expanse of the galaxy before him, with _Starkiller Base_ set in the forefront of his view. He straightened his back and shoulders. This was the galaxy he intended to rule with an oppressive, suffocating grip, and he wasn’t about to let a trifling map stand in his way. Behind him, Ren sneezed in his helmet.

Hux turned back to Ren and Phasma. Ren was taking his helmet off, mouth turned up and wiping at his nose. He took his gloves off too as Hux sat down behind his desk. Since finding out about the map the night before, things had moved quickly and the Resistance was preparing to mobilize. It was all very inconvenient, the map coming into the limelight just when Hux’s weapon was supposed to have its hour to shine. Hux rolled his eyes and rubbed his face.

“Why does such a map even exist in the first place, Ren?” Hux asked.

“How should I know?” Ren said, scowling at him. He had his helmet and gloves tucked defensively under an arm. Phasma stood by his side, blaster in hand and nose high because she liked the profile image she saw reflected in Hux’s window. She adjusted her cape.

“Because he’s your uncle!”

“So?” Ren said, “That doesn’t mean I know what he’s up to! I haven’t spoken to him since I quit his Jedi program!”

“You mean since you killed all of his apprentices and fled?”

Kylo rolled his eyes.

“You’ve had no recent communication with him whatsoever regarding his whereabouts?” Hux asked.

Kylo shrugged. “He sends me a Christmas card every year. But only because mom makes him. And there’s no return address on it.”

Hux rolled his eyes. “The map, Kylo,” he said tiredly, “Why does it exist and where can we find it?”

“I don’t know!”

“The map was intended for the Resistance, sir,” Phasma said, “To be able to locate Skywalker if they needed to. And it’s only a partial map.”

“A _partial_ map?”

“Yeah, but we already have the rest of it,” Ren said proudly as he pulled a print-out from his pocket and unfolded it, “My username and password from my Jedi Academy account still work. I was up all night reading through the archives looking for it. But there’s a piece missing.”

Ren gave the map to Hux. Hux eyed it skeptically.

“And you think your former _history teacher_ has it? This missing piece?”

“That’s what Snoke says,” Ren said with a shrug.

“Unbelievable,” Hux murmured, standing up from his desk, and walking over to the other window to look out over the _Finalizer_ command bridge, “And you believe he’s on Jakku?”

“Our source of intel there says Lor San Tekka is living in a small hut in a remote village, sir,” Phasma said, “Likely trying to lay low until the Resistance can send someone to retrieve the map’s missing piece.”

“How did he get it?”

Ren shrugged. “He’s an amateur cartographer. He collects maps in his spare time.”

Hux rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath.

“Send a division there at once to collect the map,” Hux said, “Phasma, you’ll command the troops. Ren, I want you to go and talk to Mr. San Tekka. See what else he knows.”

Ren huffed. “I don’t like Mr. San Tekka!”

“I don’t care,” Hux said.

“Why do I have to go?”

“I just told you I want you to talk to him and see what else he knows,” Hux said, “I don’t like having to repeat myself, Ren.”

“Phasma can talk to him!”

Hux turned to face them now. “You will go to Jakku and talk to Mr. San Tekka about the origins of the map and I won’t ask you again,” Hux said through his teeth, “I want this mission completed today.”

“Yes, sir,” Phasma said, a slight bow, and turned to leave. Ren stayed put.

“I have to take Dimitri for his follow-up eye appointment and then pick out the masonry for my treehouse today!” Ren said, “I’m already running late as it is!”

“Do it tomorrow!”

“The mason is closed tomorrow and the doctor’s only available appointment is today!”

“Then do it later!” Hux said, “This takes priority, Ren. This is your job. The Resistance can’t get that map.”

“You’re just doing this because you’re mad at me!”

“Kylo, if I were angry at you, I’d do much more than to you than ask you to do your job.”

Ren narrowed his eyes. “Are you threatening me, General?”

“Kylo,” Phasma said sternly, “Don’t start this now.”

Ren glared at her. “You on his side now, Phas?”

“This isn’t about sides,” Phasma said, “You have a job to do, I have a job to do and we don’t have time for your relationship drama. We’re leaving for Jakku. Now.”

Phasma turned to go, nose in the air, her cape swishing dramatically. Ren shot one more glare at Hux, then pulled his helmet on, then his gloves, then he turned to go.

“I want a mission report as soon as you return,” Hux said before they left, “Don’t bring back any prisoners. I have no interest in survivors. And don’t fuck this up.”

***

Ren had fucked it up.

Hux was pacing the floor of his quarters while Ren sat on the floor feeding Dimitri his dinner and texting the Ewok who was the head contractor for his treehouse.

“Do you think I should do bamboo or mahogany floors?” Ren asked, turning his phone to show Hux a blurry photo of a floor.

“Why are you still here?” Hux muttered.

“Because you said you wanted us to move in together,” Ren said as he fed Dimitri diced pineapple, “So I did. And they already gave my quarters to someone else. And now I have nowhere to go.”

“Why don’t you go stay with Phasma?”

“A few days ago you wanted me to marry you and now you want me to move in with Phasma,” Ren said as Dimitri chewed on his pineapple, “And I’m the crazy one who doesn’t know what I want?”

Hux poured himself a glass of scotch.

“I explicitly told you not to bring any prisoners back,” Hux yelled suddenly, making Dimitri jump, then curl up into Ren’s fingers. He’d turned yellow from the sudden stressor and was trembling gently. Ren rubbed his back to help him calm down.

“I told you we aren’t talking about this until I put the lizards to bed! You’re upsetting Dimitri!”

“You had one job to do, Kylo!” Hux said, “And instead of actually doing it, you killed the person I asked you to speak with and brought back a Resistance scoundrel who blew up my hangar! We can’t afford these repairs and we can’t afford to lose TIE fighters!”

“It’s not my fault your stormtrooper saw a cute pilot and defected!”

“The pilot was never supposed to be here in the first place!”

Dimitri had stopped eating his pineapple and curled up, shaking, in Ren’s lap.

“Now Dimitri’s lost his appetite!” Ren said.

“You need to call your father,” Hux said, “FN-2187 and the droid are in his tacky Corellian freighter. He might know where they are.”

Ren was looking at his phone again, then turned it around for Hux. “What do you think of these drapes?”

“I don’t care about your treehouse, Ren!”

Ren stood up with Dimitri. “You did when you thought you were going to live there with me!”

“I never wanted to live in your treehouse!” Hux said.

Ren rolled his eyes and took Dimitri to his cage.  “Well I’ll be out of your way soon,” Ren said and tucked him in, “I’ve put in a request for temporary housing.”

Hux sighed and sipped his scotch. “You don’t have to leave, Ren.”

“Are you sure?” Ren asked, and checked to make sure Agamemnon and Bernadine were still sleeping, “Because you change your mind every few minutes.”

Agamemnon had woken up to snack on ants. Ren fed him a few more.

“I don’t want you to move out, Ren,” Hux said, “But we need to talk.”

“About what? Your five year plan?”

“No,” Hux said, “Just about what we want to do now. About our future.”

Ren sighed and shut the lid of Agamemnon’s terrarium. “You already know what I want, Hux. I just want to be together.”

“And we are together,” Hux said, “But what happens next?”

“It doesn’t matter what happens next,” Ren said,” We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“Right, but when will we come to it?”

“We’ll know when we come to it!”

“How do you suppose we’ll know?” Hux said, “I don’t know how you can be so lackadaisical about this.”

“It’ll be obvious when we want or need to take the next step in our relationship,” Ren said, “Why is that so hard for you to understand?”

Hux stared at him.

“Whatever happens happens! We just ride the waves of life, or something,” Ren said.

Hux shook his head. “That’s absurd. _Ride the waves of life?_ We can’t just coast through life with no plan.”

“Yes, we can!”

“No, we can’t!”

“Why don’t we just get through this whole map-to-Luke Skywalker-thing and then we can talk five year plans, ok?”

Hux rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Ren. Fine. Whatever you want to do. We’ll surf and coast and flounder around until we either break up or get married.”

“Why are you being so difficult about this?”

“Why can’t you just commit?”

Ren shook his head. “Why does it matter?”

“Because I love you,” Hux said, “I’m falling more in love with you as time goes on and if you don’t want to be with me forever I’d prefer to know it sooner rather than later.”

Ren rolled his eyes. He went down the hall to the bedroom.

“Kylo?”

Ren didn’t respond.

“Kylo? What’s so wrong with that?” Hux asked.

“This is all about your control kink,” Ren said and grabbed his toothbrush and his favorite penguin pajama pants, “You don’t get to control relationships, Hux.”

“And now you’re leaving?”

“I’m going to stay with Phas tonight,” Ren put his hair up, then muttered, _“And maybe forever.”_

“You said you wanted to stay.”

“Well now I want to go.”

Hux rubbed his face as Ren pushed past him.

“Well I want you to stay.”

“Well I’m going.”

Ren was sliding into his bunny house slippers. “I’ll be back in the morning to feed my lizards.”

***

When Hux woke up the next morning, Ren was in bed with him, feeding Dimitri out of a bottle.

“What are you doing here, Ren?”

“Feeding my lizards.”

“You could’ve just stayed here last night.”

“No, I couldn’t have.”

Hux sighed and rolled over to check his comm to make sure nothing urgent had come up in the night. They were still chasing the droid around the galaxy -- and doing so quite poorly.

Once Dimitri was done eating, Ren got up to put him away, then came back to bed.

“The droid is with my cousin,” Ren said as he pulled off his shirt and settled into bed.

“What?”

Ren was pulling off his penguin pajama pants now too. “The droid is with my cousin. Rey,” he said again.

“You _know_ where it is?”

“Yep,” Ren said and crawled on top of Hux, “Well, sort of.”

Ren straddled Hux’s torso and bent to kiss him.

“And you’re not going to go get it?” Hux asked.

“I’ll meditate later and try to locate her,” Ren said with a shrug, “Do you feel like being on top or bottom?”

“No. Neither,” Hux said and struggled to sit up underneath Ren, “I’m angry at you, Kylo. I don’t want to have sex. And furthermore, we don’t have time.”

Kylo looked at him curiously. “But you like fucking me when you’re angry?”

“If you know how to find the droid, you need to do it!”

“I meditate best after sex,” Ren said, bending to kiss Hux’s collarbone, “It clears my mind.”

“Get off of me, Kylo.”

Ren got off of Hux and frowned. “We haven’t had sex since the gala.”

“That was just a few nights ago.”

Ren nodded.

Hux rolled his eyes. “Weren’t you just angry with me last night?”

“Yep.”

“And now you want to have sex?”

“Yep.”

Hux looked at his Ren, the ownership seal tattoo peeking out from the waistband of his underwear and hair messy from sleep. He was looking back at Hux, blinking, brow furrowed like he was deep in thought.

There were few things Hux liked more than an angry fuck, especially to start his day.

“Five minutes, Ren,” Hux said, “And then you have to find the droid.”

Ren nodded and kissed Hux’s neck. “Deal,” he said, “Top or bottom?”

***

Hux had elected to take the top, and he had Ren spread out underneath him on the bed. Since they only had five minutes from initial penetration to finish, he hadn’t wasted any time. He was pounding into Ren hard, a sweat already having gathered on his brow.

“Is this what you wanted?” Hux asked, he was holding Ren’s legs up and open, gripping his thighs.

Ren nodded and Hux glared down at him.

“I don’t like when you leave me,” Hux breathed as he fucked Ren, “When we have a fight and you leave me. I don’t like it. I’d prefer that you stay.”

Ren rolled his eyes. “Why?” he said, “So you can convince me you’re right?”

“No, so we can talk through it,” Hux said and pulled Ren closer to him.

“Yeah, exactly. So you can convince me you’re right.”

Hux narrowed his eyes at Ren and kept fucking him. They only had four minutes left.

“You come across as sweet and innocent, but you’re quite manipulative,” Hux grunted.

“What?” Ren propped himself up on his elbows, but Hux pushed him back down, “Where is this coming from?”

“Whenever you want me to agree with you, you give me those innocent, awful puppy-dog eyes or sweet little confused stares until you get your way.”

“No one would describe me as sweet and innocent.”

“You did it just now. When you wanted to have sex.”

“Can you stop talking and just fuck me please?” Ren asked.

Hux bent Ren’s knees, pushed his legs back and kept fucking him.

“You always have something to say during sex, so why can’t I?”

“I do not _always_ have something to say during sex.”

“You talk the whole time we’re having sex.”

“Well now you’re talking.”

They had three minutes left. Hux pulled Ren’s hips lower into him and kept going. Ren made no noise, not even a moan, his lips sealed tight.

“And now what? I suppose you’re not going to say anything in order to prove a point?”

Ren looked the other way. Hux grabbed his chin.

“Look at me, Ren,” Hux grunted again, turning Ren’s eyes to meet his.

Ren refused to look.

“Ren. Say something.”

“What do you want me to say?”

Hux fucked Ren, but smiled, glad that he’d gotten Ren to comply.

Ren huffed. “What’s your five-year plan for our sex life, General?”

Hux rolled his eyes.

“You have one of those, don’t you?” Ren asked.

“If you didn’t see it in my PowerPoint then it’s not an officially approved five-year plan.”

 _“Officially approved?_ Are you kidding?”

“What’s so wrong with that? At least I know what I want, Ren.”

“Yeah, because you’re controlling and suffocating.”

“And you’re a free-wheeling maniac,” Hux breathed, “Someone has to keep us grounded.”

“Even with your control kink and your five-year plans, you still don’t know what you want.”

“Yes, I do!”

“No, you don’t!” Ren said, “You hate me, then you love me. You want me to marry you, then you ask me to move out. I don’t know how you expect to rule the galaxy as Emperor when--”

Hux grabbed Ren’s neck to shut him up, but didn’t stop fucking him. Ren rolled his eyes.

“What, you’re choking me now?” Ren managed to say.

Hux glared, but didn’t say anything.

“You couldn’t choke me if you tried.”

“How would you know?”

“I’m good at choking people.”

They had two minutes left.

“You like being choked don’t you?” Hux asked.

Ren rolled his eyes.

“You could’ve told me weeks ago you were into choking, Ren,” Hux said as he tightened his grip on Ren’s neck.

Ren squirmed, but gave Hux a challenging glare.

“Do you want me to stop?”

Ren still glared.

“Say something. You’re impossible to read.”

“I can’t breathe,” Ren choked out.

“Do you want me to stop or not, Kylo?” Hux loosened his grip slightly.

“No!” Ren said, “Keep going.”

They had one minute left.

Hux squeezed Ren’s neck tighter as he fucked him harder. Ren’s hands gripped the sheets.

“Have you had enough?” Hux asked.

Ren couldn’t talk anymore, so he shook his head. Hux squeezed tighter.

“How about now?” He asked a few moments later.

Ren shook his head so Hux squeezed tighter, his fingers digging into Ren’s neck.

“Now?”

Ren nodded and Hux let go immediately, then stroked Ren’s cock instead. Ren gasped for breath, the blood rushing from his face and straight to his cock. He came without warning, spilling all over Hux’s hand. Hux came a few moments later, still inside of Ren. Slowly, they both came back to their breath. Ren gasped for air a bit and rubbed his neck. Hux kissed his nose.

“Are you alright?” Hux asked.

Ren nodded.

“I could definitely choke you to death,” Hux said.

“No, you couldn’t. I was letting you choke me.”

“We finished with 30 seconds to spare,” Hux said and stopped the timer on his phone.

“Can we cuddle for 30 seconds?” Ren asked.

Hux sighed. “I suppose,” he said, “Thirty seconds. And then you have to find the droid.”

Ren nodded and they snuggled under the sheets together. Hux settled in next to Ren and placed a few kisses to his neck.

“I love you,” Ren said, “Sometimes.”  

“I love you too,” Hux said, “Some of the time.”

“Like when?” Ren asked.

“When what?”

“When do you love me?”

Hux shrugged. “I don’t know. When we’re having sex or when you’re doing exactly what I’d like you to.”

Ren sighed. “That’s not surprising.”

“When do you love me?” Hux asked.

“When you’re not acting like a controlling, psychotic space dictator.”

“But I _am_ a controlling space dictator.”

“You forgot psychotic,” Ren said, “And you can be really kind sometimes, Hux.”

Ren turned and met Hux’s lips in a kiss. “That’s when I love you.”

Hux opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted when his and Ren’s phones both began ringing. It was the special ringtone they had set for the Supreme Leader. He was FaceTiming them. Their eyes met briefly, then they both scrambled for their clothes.

“Where did you put my underwear?” Hux yelled as he searched the bed.

“You used my penguin pants to clean up your come?”

Their phones continued to ring.

“Wear other pants!” Hux said, “And that was your come I was cleaning off.”

“I don’t have any other pants. It’s laundry day!”

“I told you call for laundry service yesterday!”

Their phones still rang.

Hux pulled on a shirt and so did Kylo. They both answered, careful to keep their phones from chest up only.

The Supreme Leader squinted at them in his camera.

“Supreme Leader Snoke,” Hux began.

“I’ve been waiting in the holochamber for one half hour,” he said mournfully.

“Sorry, Supreme Leader,” Hux said, “We were--”

“Fucking,” Kylo said.

Hux felt his face shrivel.

“Meet me in the holochamber at once.”

Snoke hung up. Hux glared at him.

“Fucking?”

“He knows we’re together.”

Hux stood from the bed, “You’re unbelievable, Kylo!”

Ren stood too. “What? Everyone knows we’re fucking. It’s not a big deal.”

Hux dug through the drawers.

“We don’t have any clean clothes!”

“I told you it’s laundry day!” Kylo said and picked through piles of black until came up with his cowl.

“And I told you to call laundry service yesterday! Are you completely incompetent? Now I don’t have any clean underwear!”

“You like being in control! Why didn’t you just do it yourself?”

“Why can’t you do anything right?”

“Why do you ask me to do anything if you don’t trust me!”

Hux pulled on his pants, sans underwear. “That’s a good question,” he said, “Perhaps I should stop.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop asking you,” Hux said and pulled on his jacket, “Stop trusting you. Stop being with you. Whichever.”

Hux left the bedroom.

“Stop being with me?” Kylo echoed.

Hux ignored him.

“You have no idea what you want, Hux!”

“Neither do you!”  Hux pulled on his boots.

“Why are we together?” Ren yelled as he finished dressing, “Why are we even together?”

“I don’t know!”

“I don’t know either!”

In his terrarium, Agamemnon kicked his water over.

“I think you and your demon lizards should stay with Phasma,” Hux muttered and put on his greatcoat.

Ren pulled his gloves on. “Yeah. I think we should too.”

***

The meeting with the Supreme Leader was not at all what either of them had wanted to hear. Because they’d failed to get the map, the Resistance now had the upper hand. To get the advantage back, Hux had casually suggested they blow up the Hosnian System.

“Are you insane?” Ren yelled as he rubbed his neck and followed behind Hux as he scurried around the _Starkiller_ control bridge, giving orders to prepare the weapon.

“I’m quite sane.”

“We just talked about this!”

“About what?”

“I love you when you’re not being a psychotic, controlling space dictator!”

“Well, it’s my job to be a controlling space dictator.”

“You forgot psychotic!” Ren yelled and rubbed at his neck.

“Why do you keep rubbing your neck?”

“Because you choked me during sex this morning!”

“You practically begged me to!”

“I did not!”

The staff tried to ignore their argument, but they were definitely listening.

Ren’s phone buzzed. He checked it and rolled his eyes.

“My dad just posted to Instagram. He’s at his friend Maz’s castle with Rey, Chewie, FN-2187 and the droid.”

“Well then go get them!” Hux said, snatching Ren’s phone to look at the picture. They were all tagged in the photo. Even BB-8 had an Instagram.

“I will,” Ren said and put his helmet on, “I’ll bring the droid back, ok?” Just don’t blow up the Hosnian System.”

“But I’ve already written my speech.”

“Babe. _Please,_ don’t?”

***

Their next meeting with Supreme Leader was even worse. Hux had blown up the Hosnian System and Ren still didn’t have the droid, plus, he’d brought back another prisoner, his cousin, who’d escaped.

“How are you so bad at this?” Hux yelled, “You have one job! You’ve had one job for the last two days and you still haven’t done it!”

“You blew up the Hosnian System and you said you wouldn’t!”

“I never said that!”

“How could you do that, Hux?”

“I did it because you can’t be trusted to do your job!”

“So it’s my fault? It’s my fault you blew up an entire system?”

“Yes!”

Hux’s phone went off. “There’s an emergency,” he muttered,” I need to get to the bridge.”

***

“You can’t possibly tell me _this_ is my fault!” Hux yelled at Ren as their shuttle took off of the collapsing _Starkiller Base._

Ren was too exhausted to argue. His mood was morose, staring out of the window of their shuttle as the _Millennium Falcon_ fled in the opposite direction.

“My family is in there,” Ren said.

“What?”

“My dad and my cousin and my uncle. They’re all in there,” Ren said softly, “And I should be with them.”

Hux glared at him. “Ren, you--”

“I almost killed my dad!”

Hux rolled his eyes.

“My Uncle Chewie shot me because I was going to kill my own dad!”

“You’re in shock.”

“And you’re in denial!”

“What?”

“We can’t be together, Hux,” Ren said, “I don’t belong with you. I belong with my family.”

Hux sighed and motioned to one of the medic droids. “Can you give him something to make him stop talking?”

They fell silent as the ruins of _Starkiller_ faded away and the medic droid filled a syringe.

“Hux?” Ren said softly as the droid pushed a needle into his arm. His eyes were welling with tears.

“What?”

“Will you hold my hand?”

“I’m mad at you, Ren,” Hux said, “You’ve ruined everything!”

Ren swallowed. A tear fell down his cheek. He looked over at Hux, his eyes still brimming with tears.

“These are the awful puppy dog eyes I was talking about.”

“Hux? Please?”

Hux cursed under his breath, but took Ren’s fingers in his.

***

It took five days for the activity to die down after _Starkiller Base_. The Resistance had thrown a magnificent party to celebrate, and it was all the galaxy tabloids talked about. Even so, Hux insisted that his officers maintain focused on their duties. Plus, they still had major financial issues to iron out.

Hux stood, looking out over the same galaxy he’d watched over just a few days ago with full confidence in his ability to rule it. And now, with _Starkiller_ gone, he began to second guess himself.

“General,” Phasma said, approaching from behind.

Hux turned to face her. “Captain,” he said.

“I have a letter for you,” she said, “From Kylo.”

Hux rolled his eyes, but opened it as Phasma retreated. He hadn’t spoken to Ren since he’d left him in MedBay a few days earlier. Hux looked over the letter. It looked like it had printed on an inkjet printer that was still running low on ink.

“When is he going to get a new ink cartridge?” Hux muttered to himself as his eyes scanned the page.

_Dear Hux,_

_Please accept this letter as formal notification of my resignation from the First Order. My last day will be two weeks from whenever you read this. (Let me know when you read this)_

_The First Order isn’t for me. I almost killed my dad tonight. I don’t like it here I don’t want to be here anymore._

_I’m under contract with the Knights of Ren, so I’ll still be Snoke’s student or whatever until I finish my training and complete my dissertation. *sigh*_

_Also, me being in the First Order isn’t very good for our relationship --  if we still have a relationship. Maybe things will be better for us once I quit. You can find me in my treehouse._

_Sincerely,_

_Kylo Ren/Ben Organa-Solo-Skywalker_

***

Ren left for Snoke’s temple two weeks later to finish his dissertation, his belongings loaded by the last few bellhops the First Order could afford to keep on staff. Hux and Ren had squabbled over title ownership of the Command Shuttle, but they’d found that Snoke had purchased it with a Knights of Ren MasterCard, so it was technically Ren’s.

Hux watched sourly from above the hangar as Ren carried the lizards onboard.

“You’re not going to say goodbye to him?” Phasma asked, sneaking up behind Hux.  

Hux sighed. “We’re not talking right now.”

“But you should still probably say goodbye to him,” Phasma said.

“Why bother?”

“Because you love him,” Phasma said.

Hux sighed.

Phasma watched Ren board the shuttle, the ramp closing behind him. “And he loves you.”

_In the next installment: Hux and Ren miss each other and try to repair their relationship, but when Ren completes his “training” at Snoke’s resort and moves to Endor, he makes a critical life decision without consulting Hux._


	2. Beautiful Tyrant, Fiend Angelical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux and Ren miss each other and try to repair their relationship, but when Ren completes his “training” at Snoke’s resort and moves to Endor, he makes a critical life decision without consulting Hux.

Hux couldn’t sleep. He laid on his back in the center of his bed, staring up at the ceiling with the blankets pulled up to his chin, but he was still cold. He wore one of Ren’s sweaters, but sweaters and blankets didn’t help. Nothing helped. Ren had been the thing keeping him warm and Hux knew it.

Also, the _Finalizer_ couldn’t afford to run its heat very often.

Millicent turned in a circle next to Hux’s head and settled down, trying to get comfortable. She fidgeted, then stood again, turning in a circle and trying to settle. She stretched out her paws to Hux’s ears and sighed. She couldn’t sleep either.

Hux thought about what Ren was doing at this hour. He imagined him at Snoke’s “temple,” which was really more like a luxury beach resort crossed with Machu Picchu, huddled in front of a computer screen, pecking away at his dissertation while eating cheetos, leaving greasy orange marks on all the keys.

Hux imagined himself kissing Ren’s hair and telling him to come to bed, then sneaking a few cheetos and waiting up while Ren finished. Ren would undress completely and come to bed, working Hux’s underwear off while telling him about how wrong the early Jedi had been in understanding the dark and light sides of the Force. Hux would pretend be annoyed with Ren’s insatiable sex drive, but would let Ren slide his underwear off anyways. Hux shut his eyes to make the vision go away, then switched on the lamp and grabbed his phone.

Even though it was past three in the morning, he got up and put on water for tea. Millicent got up too, jumping down from the bed and following him to the kitchen. He didn’t sleep much these days anyways. Not without Ren.

As soon as he got to the kitchen, his phone buzzed. _Ren_. They hadn’t had much communication since Ren had left the First Order a few weeks earlier.

The text read: _Hi. Sorry it’s so late, but I sensed you were up. Can I use you as a character reference?_

_Hux: Yes. For what? What are you doing up so late?_

_Ren: Finishing my dissertation. UGH.  Snoke wants three “character references” from people that I’ve worked with, but they can’t be my knights! I don’t know very many people!_

_Hux: Oh, ok. Sure, you can use me._

_Ren: Ok._

Hux wanted to type, _will you_ _send me a picture because I miss looking at your face._ But instead he asked a more sensible question.

_Hux: How are the lizards? And the treehouse? And you?_

_Ren: We’re great! Dimitri is starting Kindergarten soon! Bern’s wisdom teeth are coming in, so she’s grumpy. Agamemnon was expelled from therapy! I don’t know what I’m going to do with him! And my treehouse will be ready for move in by time I leave Snoke’s stupid resort. The wi-fi here is terrible!_

_Hux: That’s good. And how are you? Are you ok?_

_Ren: I’m ok. You?_

_Hux: I’m okay I suppose. I need to hear your voice, Ren._

Ren called a few moments after the message was delivered.

“Hux? Are you ok?” Ren asked as soon as Hux picked up.

“I’m fine,” Hux said, “I just miss you.”

“I miss you too,” Ren said, “But, you said you needed to hear my voice. Is everything ok?”

“Everything’s fine,” Hux said, “I’m just cold. And I wish you were here to keep me warm.”

“Oh,” Ren said, “I left you one of my sweaters?”

“I know,” Hux said, “I’m wearing it. I’m just -- I don’t know.”

On the other end of the line, Hux heard Ren slurping a drink. He burped.

“Is Snoke upset with you for quitting the First Order?” Hux asked.

“Yeah,” Ren said, “I think he’s the one messing with the wi-fi.”

“But you’re alright?”

“I’m fine,” Ren said, “But I have to re-connect to the wi-fi every ten minutes. It’s torture. I think he’s torturing me.”

Hux sighed. “Is your arm ok? And your eye?”

“They healed fine, so I didn’t get my bionic replacements,” Ren said sorrowfully, “But I have a pretty rugged scar!”

“I need to see you, Kylo,” Hux said.

Hux heard Ren start to say something, then heard only loud noises like he was fumbling with the phone, then the line went quiet.

“Kylo?”

“Sorry, I’m here,” Ren said after a few moments, “I spilled my Mr. Pibb.”

Hux smiled. “I miss you. A lot,” he said, “This is awful. It’s awful here without you.”

“Come visit me?” Ren suggested, now munching on something crunchy, “At my treehouse? After I turn in this dissertation?”

“When do you turn it in?”

“Tomorrow, I hope,” Ren said, “But my printer is running low on ink.”

“Can’t you just email it to him?”

“No. He doesn’t like using the computer,” Ren said, “Plus he’s not good at opening email attachments. Maybe I could message it to him in pieces on Facebook messenger? He’s on Facebook a lot.”

Hux shook his head, “Kylo, darling, I’ll overnight you an inkjet cartridge, ok?”

“Really?”

“Yes, love. It should be there tomorrow. Just send me your printer model number ok?”

“Ok. Thanks, Hux.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Kylo?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you eating cheetos with your Mr. Pibb?”

“Yep,” Ren said, “How’d you know?”

Hux smiled, “I need to sleep, darling. I have to be up early. I just -- I couldn’t sleep without hearing your voice.”

“Ok, give Millie a kiss for me.”

“I will,” Hux said, “And Ren?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you send me a picture of your laptop keyboard?”

***

Hux hung up with Ren after three rounds of _I love you_ and went back to bed, with Millicent curling up near his head. He and Ren had left each other on a sour note after _Starkiller Base_ , and Hux had convinced himself they were done.

As soon as Ren’s shuttle had departed the _Finalizer,_ Hux had written Ren out of his five-year plan and began making provisions for his future as an eternal bachelor. He’d felt great about it, his mind brimming with the possibilities of his now certain and unclouded future. His hyper-positivity had lasted for about an hour, before the reality came crashing down on him. _His Ren was gone._

Hux had ignored his own grief, and they hadn’t spoken in weeks, but it had been worse than Hux imagined it ever could be. Just hearing Ren’s voice had ignited him again.

Hux smiled and settled back down into bed, still in Ren’s sweater. He browsed his Amazon app for an inkjet cartridge for Ren’s printer, found one and selected overnight delivery. Just before he fell asleep, Ren sent him a picture. His laptop keyboard. Covered in greasy orange fingerprints.

***

Hux whistled the next morning as he arrived to the command bridge. Without Ren in his life the last few weeks, Hux had been an especially awful version of himself, snapping at every officer who crossed his path, enforcing longer hours with lesser pay and, most egregiously in his eyes, only shining his boots every _other_ day.

He smiled and greeted each of his bridge staff this morning, and had even ordered donuts and coffee to be delivered from the nearest planet, though their budget was tighter than ever.

“General,” Phasma said, approaching him cautiously, “Are you _whistling?”_

“I am.”

Phasma sighed. “You talked to Kylo?”

“I did.”

“And you’re happy?”

“I am,” Hux said, “He’s turning in his dissertation this morning, then I’m going to visit him on Endor in a couple weeks, once he’s settled in.”

Phasma nodded. “So he didn’t tell you about the Ewok?”

“What Ewok?”

“He might be adopting an Ewok.”

“What?”

“Yeah. An Ewok couple in his sub-division died in a moped accident last week. They left a baby behind. She’s bouncing around in the foster system right now, but Kylo is thinking about taking her in.”

“He didn’t tell me that.”

“It’s not for sure yet.”

“He still should’ve told me.”

“Why? So you can talk him out of it?”

Hux scoffed. “No, I -- I would--”

“You would talk him out of it.”

Hux rolled his eyes.

“Kylo is a good person,” Phasma said, “He’s a good person who sometimes gets confused and loses sight of himself and does bad things. But he has a good heart. And when he wants to do good things like adopt difficult lizards or orphaned Ewoks or leave the First Order to be with his family, he needs someone who can encourage him to do it.”

Hux looked at her. “And you don’t think I’m that person.”

“No.”

“And you don’t think I ever can be that person?”

“No.”

Hux scoffed again. “Well you’re wrong. I _can_ be that person,” Hux said, “And I will be. For Kylo.”   

***

Hux was determined to keep his cool as he called Ren a few hours later to ask about the Ewok. Ren picked up on the third ring.

“Hi, babe,” Ren said.

“Hi, darling,” Hux said, “Did you get your dissertation printed?”

“I did! It’s amazing how good the words look on the page when there’s ink the cartridge!”

Hux smiled. “That’s great, love. Are you leaving Machu Picchu soon?”

“I’m packing up now. I’ll be checked out of Snoke’s stupid resort in a few hours and then I’ll finally be at my treehouse! They’re digging the pool today and dropping off the appliances tomorrow.”

Hux smiled. “That’s great, love,” he said, “I just -- I need to talk to you about something?”

“Yeah?”

“Phasma told me you’ve been thinking of adopting an Ewok?”

“Oh,” Ren said, “Yeah. Her parents died in a moped accident a few weeks ago and she’s not doing well in the foster system! She needs to find a home, and they’re looking for someone who could take her in forever.”

“And you want that -- to be -- you?”

“Maybe,” Ren said, “I don’t know yet. I’ll meet her tomorrow.”

“Right but you’re hoping -- you want --- to adopt it. The Ewok?”

“Her name translates to Izzy. Short for Isadora. She’s named after a saint!”

Hux shook his head, “So you _want_ to adopt her?”

“There’s a growing religious trend among the Ewoks lately,” Ren said, “Many are converting to Catholicism.”

“Ren!” Hux said more firmly, “Do you want to adopt it or not?”

“Her name is Izzy!” Ren said, “And yes, Hux. I want to adopt her. I wouldn’t meet her if I wasn’t considering it.”

“And you couldn’t have told me yesterday? When I asked how you were doing? You could’ve said, _‘I’m great, Hux! I’m finishing my dissertation, I’m quitting my Knights, I’m going to become a parent!”_

“It’s not for sure yet!”

“But you could’ve mentioned it, love.”

Ren sighed. “Why can’t you ever be happy for me? Why are you always upset about everything I chose to do?”

“Because you don’t talk to me about anything.”

“That’s because I know you won’t be supportive of anything I choose.”

Hux shook his head. “I don’t want to fight, Kylo. I’m exhausted of fighting with you. I’m just saying I want you to be able to tell me these things.”

“Well you aren’t good at hearing these things,” Ren said.

“Yes, I am.”

“No, you’re not, babe,” Ren said, “You’re already mad at me.”

Hux sighed. “I’m not. I’m not mad. I love you, Kylo,” Hux said, “It’s been awful without you and I don’t want to do it again. I’ve missed you exponentially more each day. Day one was bad, day two was worse, day three was the worst, day four was insufferable, day five--”

“I get it, Hux,” Ren said, “I’ve missed you too. But my life is about to change. I’m not with the First Order. I won’t be Kylo Ren. I won’t be Snoke’s apprentice. Things are different. And I need you to support me.”

“Of course,” Hux said, “Of course I can do that, love.”

“You can?”

“Yes,” Hux said, “But I need you to support me too. I don’t intend to leave the First Order. We’re in the middle of a standoff with the Resistance and we’re in financial trouble and you’ve left and Phasma’s in the process of hiring your replacement and I can’t leave.”

“I know.”

“Ok.”

“Ok.”

“When you come see me, let’s work through it,” Ren said, “We can write a plan. A five-year plan. Together. For us.”

“Wait,” Hux said, “You want to write our five-year plan?”

Ren sighed. “I want to write our five-year plan.”

***

Being in love was more stressful than being general, Hux decided, as his shuttle entered Endor’s atmosphere.

He’d had a hard time deciding what to wear to see Kylo for the first time in nearly three weeks.

Hux had decided on the H&M outfit Kylo had picked out for him before the concert. Not wanting to show up empty-handed, he’d had the shuttle drop him by Walgreens on a nearby planet so he could pick up some of Ren’s favorite snacks and a bouquet of utterly mediocre flowers. Not having thought about gift wrapping, he’d just put everything in a plastic sand pail they had on sale with the rest of the summer markdown.

“Welcome to Endor,” the pilot said over the intercom, “The local time is 0900 hours and the ground temperature is 35 degrees celsius. You may now resume use of electronic devices.”

Hux rolled his eyes and turned on his cell phone. He hated the heat. He hated planets. He hated Ewoks. But he loved his Ren. He was planning to stay for a few days so they’d have time to write their joint five-year plan, and he’d decided the First Order would have to continue to just barely scrape by without him. He texted to let Ren know his shuttle had landed as he walked through the terminal.

When Hux got out to the arrivals curb, Ren was there, standing next to an SUV Hux hadn’t known he had. He was wearing his favorite Birkenstocks and he had his hair pulled up off of his neck. Hux smiled, speeding up his steps until he was in Ren’s arms, feet lifted from the ground as he hugged Ren’s neck. He was a bit sweaty from the heat and the humidity, but he smelled just like Hux remembered. The same Dove bodywash.

Ren held him close and tight. He buried his head in Hux’s neck.

“Hi, Hux.”

“Hi, Ren.”

Ren finally set Hux down and kissed him. They kissed for a long time before finally pulling away.

“You’re wearing the outfit I picked out for you,” Ren said.

Hux nodded. “And I brought you snacks,” Hux said, “And flowers. For your new place.”

Ren kissed Hux again. “Thank you,” he said.

“You got a new car?” Hux asked, looking at the Jeep behind him. 

“Yeah,” Ren said, “I found it on Carmax! I needed something with four wheel drive. It gets pretty muddy here in the rainy season.”

Hux nodded.

“It’s … big,” he said, looking it over. It was a yellow Jeep Wrangler with ridiculous tires and lights affixed to the top cage. It had a tow cable on the back and a bug shield on the front. The whole thing was so, entirely _extra._

“Do you like it?” Ren asked as he picked up Hux’s suitcase and the pail and loaded it into the trunk. Hux caught a glimpse of all the tacky bumper stickers Ren had already affixed to the rear of the vehicle.

“It’s lovely,” Hux said went around to get into the front seat.

Ren shut the trunk. Hux shut his door and looked around the car thoroughly. It was clean. It smelled good. Ren had affixed a little hula lady to the front dash. It was a manual transmission, which Hux hated to admit he didn’t know how to drive. He turned around, his eyes coming to rest on the backseat.

There was a pink carseat. With an Ewok in it. A sleeping Ewok.

“Kylo,” Hux said when Ren got in.

“Yeah?” Ren said as he buckled up.

“There is an Ewok in here.”

“Yeah! That’s Izzy!”

Hux swallowed. “It’s here?”

“Who? Izzy?” Ren said, turning to look, “Yep! She’s here!”

“Why is -- why is she here? Are you fostering--”

“She’s my daughter! I adopted her yesterday. Their adoption system here works fast to make sure--”

“You adopted her?”

“I adopted her.”

“You adopted her!”

“Yes!”

“You adopted her?” Hux yelled, “We said we were going to talk about this. You were going to meet her. You adopted her!”

“She needed a home! She wouldn’t eat anything! She wouldn’t let anyone hold her! I got her to eat and she let me hold her and she smiled at me and she cried the second I put her down, so yes! I adopted her!”

“Why didn’t you tell me!”

“It just happened yesterday!”

“You couldn’t have texted me?”

“I’ve been busy! I just brought her home!” Ren said, “I figured we’d talk about it when you got here!”

Hux looked at the Ewok. She was fast asleep, sucking on a pacifier and wearing a diaper and a tiny Darth Vader t-shirt, with a little pink bow on her head.

“You adopted an Ewok,” Hux said.

An airport attendant tapped the window. “You can’t stay parked here sir,” The attendant said, “It’s only for pick-ups.”

“We’re leaving,” Ren said.

“You adopted it!”

“It’s a her!” Ren said, “Isadora Organa-Solo-Skywalker! And yes! I adopted her!”

Hux muttered something. “Ok, I need--” Hux said, unbuckling his seatbelt, “I need to get out.”

“Hux,” Ren rolled his eyes, “This is why I didn’t tell you. Because you wouldn’t have even come to see me!”

“You lied to me!”

“I didn’t lie to you!”

“You should’ve told me!”

“You hate when I make decisions without you!”

“This is a big decision! This is forever!”

“I got your ownership seal tattooed without telling you and you didn’t mind one bit!”

“This is bigger than a tattoo!”

Hux opened the door and got out of the car.

“Hux,” Ren said with a sigh, “Please get back in the car.”

“You were repulsed when I said I wanted kids!” Hux said.

“I wasn’t repulsed!” Ren was getting out of the car now too.

“You were!” Hux said, “And you said you didn’t want kids.”

“I said I didn’t want to _have_ kids. I said I might adopt,” Ren said, “And I did.”

Hux went around to the trunk, catching a better glimpse of the dozens of bumper stickers. Ren came around back.

“What are you doing?” he said, “You’re leaving?”

“I can’t do this, Kylo.”

The parking attendant returned. “Sir,” he said, “You can’t stay parked here.”

“I know,” Ren yelled, “I know! We’re leaving.”

The attendant retreated and Hux opened the trunk.

“Hux, please,” Ren said, “Don’t leave, babe. You just got here! We can talk about this.”

Hux took his suitcase out. He left the pail and flowers behind.

“I know you didn’t have this in your five-year plan, but Izzy is a great Ewok! She’s really sweet and she has big brown eyes and she likes to squeeze my fingers and I told her all about you!”

“She doesn’t speak English,” Hux muttered, “She’s covered in fur!”

“She’s my daughter!”

Hux stepped up to the curb and extended the handle of his suitcase.

“I can’t do this, Kylo,” Hux said, “You need to talk to me about these things.”

“And you can’t just leave because you’re mad at me!”

“I have work to do,” Hux said, “The First Order is in crippling debt and I have work to do and I shouldn’t even be here. I never should’ve come.”

***

“God, you two are a mess,” Phasma said as she held the pizza in her arms and kicked the door shut. She came back over to the sofa. Hux was sitting on the floor, a beer in his hand.

“He’s a dad.”

Phasma shrugged. “I can’t believe you didn’t know,” she said as she sat the pizza down on the coffee table, “Izzy was all over his snapchat last night.”

Hux shook his head. “He doesn’t tell me anything.”

“That’s because you’re mean to him.”

“I’m not mean to him.”

“You said you could support him. And clearly you can’t. That’s why he doesn’t tell you anything,” Phasma said.  

Hux sighed.

“He called me on his way home with her. He’s already teaching her to say Auntie Phasma in Ewokese,” Phasma said, “I’m throwing him a baby shower next week.”

Hux rolled his eyes.

“Why can’t you just be happy for him?” Phasma asked, “He has a heart of gold. He loves her and he--”

“He doesn’t think about the future when he makes these decisions. He gets wrapped up in the moment and he gets a tattoo, or he adopts lizards or becomes a parent to an Ewok and he doesn’t even think about what this means for his future.”

Phasma scoffed. “You’re kidding me, right, general,” she said and picked up a slice of pizza, “You think he doesn’t think about his future? He knows what he wants. I know he comes across as haphazard and childish and silly, but he knows exactly what he wants.”

Phasma bit angrily into her pizza.

“And you know what? No,” she said around a mouthful of pizza, “He doesn’t think about his future as much as he should because he’s thinking about your future. Or the lizards’ future! Or Izzy’s future!”

Phasma chewed. “Give me a beer,” she said.

Hux opened her a beer and handed it to her.

“And you know what else? He loves you, Hux. He’s been in love before and he was in love with Eduardo, but he loves you so much. More than I’ve ever seen him love anyone.”

Phasma drank half of her beer in three gulps.

“And I think it scares him how much he loves you.”

Hux sighed. “Well it scares me too.”

“Well you need to do better,” Phasma said, “Eduardo was kind to him. Eduardo supported him and loved him and tried to understand him. He didn’t lose his temper or fly off the handle.”

“I really don’t want to hear about Eduardo right now.”

“Eduardo was his partner,” Phasma continued, gesturing with her pizza, “He stuck with Kylo through a lot. He loved him and challenged him to be a better person.”

“And then he broke up with him,” Hux muttered and sipped his beer.

“It was a mutual decision.”

“Ren told me that Eduardo broke up with him.”

“It was a mutual decision.”

Hux sighed. He and Phasma ate their pizza and drank their beer in silence for a few minutes. Phasma checked Snapchat. By the sounds of it, Ren had sent her a snap of Izzy.

“How old is she?” Hux asked, “Izzy?”

“She’s eight weeks,” Phasma said, “If you would’ve stuck around, you’d know that.”

Hux sighed.  

Phasma got another slice of pizza. “I can’t believe you had the chance to meet her and hold her and instead you left and came back here.”

Hux sighed. He imagined Ren back at the treehouse with Izzy and her little Darth Vader shirt. He knew that Ren had no clue how to raise an Ewok, but it still hadn’t stopped him from taking in Izzy.

“I know,” Hux muttered, “I know.”

***

Despite his knowing that he’d been wrong in leaving Ren, Hux still spent another week putzing around the _Finalizer,_ avoiding having to go back and apologize to Ren.

The financial crisis had escalated, thereby giving him at least a motive for sticking around. They were in debt for _Starkiller Base_ , which they no longer even owned, and they were having to being liquidating assets to come up with enough money to keep the lights on.

Hux was up working late on the budgets when Ren called. He’d been inspecting the budget Ren had made -- the one where they sold the Finalizer and operated from a grounds base with a skeleton crew. Hux knew it was the right choice, but hated to admit that Ren had been the one to come up with the solution that could save the First Order. Hux looked at the phone and considered not picking up, but did anyways.

“Kylo,” Hux said.

“Why aren’t you talking to me?” Ren asked.

“Who says I’m not talking to you?”

“You haven’t called me since you left.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“And you can’t call?”

“I’m sorry, Ren.”

“I miss you,” Ren said. “I miss you, Hux.”

Hux sighed. “I miss you too, Ren. But if you called to pick a fight I can’t--”

“You said that you could support me,” Ren said. “I told you my life was about to change and you said that you could support me. And I said I would support you too. But I need you to at least meet me halfway!”

“I’m sorry, love,” Hux said, “Work is stressful right now.”

“Tell me about it, then, babe,” Ren said, “I can support you. I just said that.”

“You left me, Kylo. You quit and you left me.”

“But I can still support you.”

“How? You’re on a different planet.”

“But I can offer emotional support.”

Hux sighed, then paused. “I think I may need to sell the _Finalizer,_ Kylo.”

“Oh,” Ren said, “I’m sorry, babe.”

They fell silent for a while.

“It’s a disaster,” Hux said, “How did it come to this?”

“I think Corellia is mostly to blame.”

Hux sighed. “I know that,” he said, “And losing _Starkiller_ hasn’t helped our bankruptcy situation.”

“I’m sorry, babe. I know it’s--”

“And your leaving put us in a tight spot too.”

Ren sighed. “Are you always going to keep bringing this up?”

“And we can’t find a decent replacement,” Hux said.

“Maybe you should leave too.”

“Leave the First Order? I can’t do that. I won’t,” Hux said, “We talked about this, Kylo.”

Ren sighed. “I’m tired of arguing with you, Hux. Could you please just come back so we can talk through everything and write our five-year plan or ten-year plan or fifteen-year plan or whatever you want. And just be together?”

Hux shook his head. “I need to go, Ren.”

“Can you just talk to me, Hux.”

“I have work to do,” Hux said, “I need to go.”

***

“I seriously can’t handle you two,” Phasma said, “You’re like a daytime soap. Or a Shakespearean tragedy. You make Romeo and Juliet seem functional, you know.”

Phasma and Hux were currently listing non-essential _Finalizer_ parts, consoles, fixtures and furniture for sale on eBay.

“He’s complicated.”

“You’re both complicated.”

“I think it’s easier to just be alone,” Hux said as he put up listings for all remaining topiary fixtures from the bird sanctuary, “And besides. I still have Millicent.”

Phasma shook her head. “You’re just going to give up on him that easily.”

“All we ever do is fight anymore.”

“He and Eduardo fought,” Phasma said, “And they worked through it for a lot longer.”

“And ultimately broke up,” Hux said, “And would you stop bringing up Eduardo?”

“What did you find on the resale market value of topiary fixtures?”

“We can ask about 3 grand for the entire set,” Phasma said, “Did you ever meet him? Eduardo.”

“No.”

“He’s sweet,” Phasma said, “But he’s nothing like you.”

Hux rolled his eyes. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“Eduardo’s been helping him,” Phasma said, “Move his stuff in.”

“What?”

“Yeah,” Phasma said, “Ren ordered a bunch of stuff from IKEA. But since he has Izzy and the lizards to raise all by himself, Eduardo offered to help him get the stuff moved in an assembled.”

A vision of a sweaty, shirtless Eduardo, wiping his brow in the Endor heat and assembling Swedish bookshelves while Ren held Izzy in his arms and stirred a pitcher of ice cold lemonade flashed before Hux’s eyes.

“I need to get to Endor.”

  _In the next installment: Hux arrives on Endor to find an exhausted Ren caring for his newly-adopted Ewok and trying to settle into life on Endor. The Supreme Leader encounters tragedy. Hux and Ren finally find peace in their relationship._


	3. Redemption’s On Your Mind When You Think About Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux travels to Endor where he finds an exhausted Ren caring for his newly-adopted Ewok and trying to settle into his new life. Hux finally meets Eduardo. The Supreme Leader chokes on a pretzel and dies while watching football. Hux and Ren find peace in their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is courtesy of Drake a.k.a Aubrey Graham a.k.a. Jimmy Brooks from Degrassi. Since Degrassi first brought these two together.

 

Hux had his personal shuttle drop him off at Endor the next day. He’d acquired Ren’s address from Phasma, and he’d summoned an Uber instead of calling Ren to pick him up. If Eduardo was indeed on the scene, Hux intended to catch him sweaty, shirtless, guilty and red-handed in his attempt to try to wedge himself into the small, but growing chasm between himself and Ren.

The ride to Ren’s treehouse was nearly 90 minutes deep into the forests of Endor, made even more complicated by muddy roads and resulting detours. The Uber driver explained that they’d had a rainstorm the night before and his car wasn’t equipped with four wheel drive.

When Hux was finally dropped off at Ren’s treehouse, there was no shirtless Eduardo in the front yard to greet him. Hux couldn’t decide if he was relieved or disappointed as he made his away across Ren’s lawn with his suitcase.

The treehouse landscaping was quite clearly still a work in progress, with a large heap of the front lawn missing. Hux figured that’s where the pool was supposed to go. Ren’s car was parked on top of the resulting pile of dirt, the wheels angled dramatically. The house was built on a gigantic Redwood tree, with only a ladder as a means of entry. Hux rolled his eyes thoroughly, but began to climb with his suitcase anyways.

“How does he get Izzy and the lizards up here?” Hux muttered as he arrived at the landing and straightened his jacket. Despite the crippling heat, he’d opted to wear his full general’s uniform. In case Eduardo was there, he wanted to look the part of the great General Hux.

Hux rang the doorbell and straightened again. After a few moments, there was no answer, so he rang again. After a few more moments, Hux heard footsteps. The door opened to reveal a very tired looking Ren. He had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was pulled up in a disastrous ponytail. He was dressed in a dirty t-shirt and his penguin pajama pants. He held a crying Izzy in his arms, bouncing her gently.

“Hux?” Ren said, his eyes growing wide.

“Hi, Kylo.”

“Hux,” Ren said, still bouncing Izzy, “What -- what are you doing here?”

“You said you wanted to see me? So we can talk.”

“Yeah, but -- I --,” Ren stammered, “I didn’t think you’d actually--”

“May I come in?”

“Yeah. Yes. Of course,” Ren said, opening the door more for Hux to enter. Hux entered, looking around and taking off his gloves as Ren closed the door behind them. The treehouse itself was nice, but looked as if a tornado had swept through. There were heaps of dirty clothes everywhere, mostly baby clothes, overflowing trashcans, toys, bottles, lizard terrarium parts, shoes and partially assembled furniture everywhere.

_ “Apparently Eduardo hasn’t done it all,” _ Hux thought to himself and continued looking around.

He saw that the lizards were all in one terrarium, with Agamemnon taking up all the space on the only available log while Dimitri and Bernadine huddled below.

In Ren’s arms, Izzy wailed. “Sorry it’s just a mess,” Ren said, “I didn’t know you were coming or else I would’ve tried to clean up.”

Hux nodded.

Ren bounced Izzy and kissed her forehead. “I’ve just been so busy with trying to get settled and trying to get Izzy settled and getting the lizards to school everyday.”

Hux nodded. “It’s alright,” he said.

“I haven’t gotten much sleep since I brought Izzy home,” Ren said and shifted her a bit, “Her teeth are already coming in and she’s running a fever -- and it’s just me taking care of her --”

“It’s alright, Ren,” Hux said, then thought,  _ “So Eduardo hasn’t been helping him out as much as Phasma hinted. Good.” _

Ren sighed. “Is that why you’re here?”

“What?”

“You thought Eduardo would be here,” Ren said with a sigh, “And you came to pick a fight.”

“I didn’t.”

“You did,” Ren said, “I’m too tired to argue with you, Hux.”

Izzy’s crying had subsided to a low whimper. “I need to feed Izzy.”

Hux followed Ren to the kitchen. The sink was overflowing with dirty dishes and baby bottles. There were already bits of dried food stuck to the cabinets, fridge, stove and countertops. Most of the pots, pans, utensils and small appliances were still in their boxes.

“I haven’t had a chance to get setup,” Ren said with a sigh, “Izzy always wants me to hold her.”

Hux nodded as Ren got a bottle from the fridge and fed it to Izzy. “What about one of those baby wraps?” Hux asked, “You know? The ones where you affix the baby to your torso so your hands are free?”

Ren sighed and sat down on a stool. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Hux looked around. “You look tired, Kylo.”

“I am tired, Hux.”

Hux sighed. “Why don’t you let me feed her? And you can take a nap?”

Ren shook his head. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want you to get some rest,” Hux said, “Just let me feed her. I’ll give her her bottle and keep her entertained while you nap.”

Ren looked down at Izzy.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

***

Hux fed Izzy the rest of her bottle and then held her propped up on his knees and stared at her as they sat on the sofa. She’d cried once Ren had left, but quieted once she got her bottle again. She hadn’t cried since and looked up at Hux now, blinking away tears and staring at him. Hux stared. She stared back. 

Hux didn’t know much about infant developmental stages, but Izzy seemed unusually strong for only eight weeks old. He figured Ewoks developed at a faster rate than human infants, which appeared to remain completely helpless until they were at least a year old.

She could sit up, with some support, and her eyes focused intently on Hux. She smiled, then spit up a little on her bib. Hux wiped her mouth and bounced her on a knee. She smiled again.

“What does Kylo do with you all day?” Hux asked her. Izzy sneezed. Ren had mentioned that she was running a fever.

“Who’s your doctor? Do you see a veterinarian or a pediatrician?”

Izzy cooed and blinked at him.

“You’re alright, I suppose,” he said, “What do you think of the lizards?”

Izzy sneezed again.

“I don’t like them much either.”

Hux held her in his arms like he’d seen Ren doing when he arrived and looked around. He stood up with her to poke around the treehouse and see if he could find any trace of Eduardo.

“Daddy isn’t very neat, is he?” Hux said, “Has there been a shirtless shepherd here? He goes by  _ Eduardo.” _

Izzy yawned and Hux bounced her and paced like he’d seen people do on TV shows with human babies. He couldn’t imagine why such a thing would be comforting, but Izzy eventually fell asleep. There was most of an IKEA crib in the corner, so Hux put her in that, then screwed the last piece on. He looked around.

He intended to stay long enough to find out about Eduardo, but he couldn’t live in this mess. He took off his jacket, folded it stiffly and placed it on most of a chair that was nearby. He pushed up his sleeves. A little cleaning couldn’t hurt.

***

Ren slept for the rest of the day. Hux had checked on him a few times, but decided he looked too peaceful to disturb. With Ren out of the way, Hux had made good use of the time while waiting to see if Eduardo would show up. 

He’d cleaned up, done the laundry, finished the IKEA furniture assembly, unpacked and set up the kitchen, directed Ren’s cable guy on where to set up the TV and internet, managed the pool construction, ordered a baby-wearing wrap, received the lizards from the carpool, fed them their disgusting ants, fed Izzy her lunch and dinner, changer her dirty diapers and put her to bed.

Hux had dragged a partially assembled IKEA rocking chair into the nursery and slept next to Izzy’s crib so he could be there in case she woke up.

***

Izzy had slept all night, which Hux hadn’t known infants to do. Hux picked up Izzy from her crib and she snuggled into his chest and sneezed. 

“Are you alright?” Hux asked, but Izzy just yawned, “Do you always sleep all night?”

Hux checked in on Ren again, but he still hadn’t woken up. Hux started a pot of coffee and looked out of the kitchen window. He hated to admit that mornings on Endor were beautiful, with the sun rising over the tops of thousands of Redwood trees. As a rule of thumb, he didn’t like planets, but he decided this one wasn’t so bad.

He checked Ren’s mail, brought in the newspaper and found the Amazon Prime box with the baby wrap waiting by the door as well. He watched a YouTube tutorial on how to wear it, then wrapped Izzy to his chest while he put in an Amazon Prime Now order, this one for groceries. There wasn’t any real food in Ren’s fridge yet. By the looks of the trash Hux had taken out, Ren had just been eating take out since he moved in.

The lizard’s carpool arrived just before 0800 hours, and Hux took them out to see them off. Dimitri and Bernadine had their backpacks in their cages, but Agamemnon had chewed through his in the night. The carpool driver, a huffy, mostly-balding stay-at-home dad in all-white sneakers, was displeased with Hux’s lack of attention. They’d also argued over the homework that Hux was supposed to have helped them complete. Hux explained their extenuating circumstances and promised that they would do the make up work when Kylo woke up.

Having heard enough, the man put the lizards into his minivan with a host of other school-bound creatures and sped away.

“Where does Ren find these people?” Hux asked Izzy as the climbed back up the ladder. Izzy burped. When they got back inside, the coffee was ready. Hux poured himself a cup, then sipped it as Izzy muttered to herself in her wrap and wiggled her arms and legs.

Hux breathed out and looked around, proud of his work.

“What do you think, Izzy?” Hux asked, “I’m pretty good at this aren’t I?”

Izzy yawned. Hux took his coffee and the paper out to the back patio. Ren’s neighborhood was nice. Many of the treehouses were new or remodeled, and about half were vacation homes.

With Izzy still wrapped against his chest, Hux sat down at Ren’s newly assembled ÄPPLARÖ patio furniture set and raised the umbrella.

“Do you know if Ren has any sunscreen?” Hux asked Izzy as he fidgeted with the umbrella. She cooed.

“No, I didn’t suppose he did,” Hux said, settling down into the shade and unfolding the  _ Endor Herald-Times.  _ The paper was bilingual, to accommodate the planet’s newest influx of human homebuyers. The front page story was about a dusty-foot philosopher of an Ewok who had infiltrated a recent mass and condemned the Catholic church. There was a grainy photo of bereaved churchgoers next to a mugshot of the offending Ewok. Hux rolled his eyes, but read on eagerly, settling down into his chair as Izzy’s breathing subsided into a steady snooze. She sneezed and hiccuped a few times before settling into a comfortable sleep on Hux’s chest.

***

By the time Hux was done reading the paper and putting the groceries away, Ren was still sleeping. The Amazon grocery order had been dropped off, and Hux had paid the driver extra to bring it up the ladder. Hux had put everything in the fridge, then made himself a sandwich and got Izzy a bottle and went back out to the patio to eat. 

“I feel like a housewife,” Hux muttered to Izzy and looked around at the trees, “And all of this green shit is making my allergies flare up.”

Hux was just about to begin complaining about the humidity, when he heard music and laughter. He looked up to locate the source of the noise, and when he saw, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. FN-2187 and the Resistance pilot who’d hijacked at TIE fighter were clinking Champagne glasses and sunning themselves on the patio while they laughed and played Latin dance music at full volume. Hux’s mouth gaped.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered and held Izzy close to his chest, “Are these your neighbors?”

Poe and Finn were kissing now, while a Spotify ad for Trojan condoms that interrupted their music played in the background.

“Jesus Christ,” Hux muttered and stood, taking his plate and Izzy’s bottle. He took her back inside to find a bewildered Ren standing in the kitchen, turning slowly in a circle and looking around. Ren was shirtless and sweaty, his hair still in the same disastrous ponytail. His chest was heaving like he’d been breathing hard.

“Ren?” Hux asked cautiously.

Ren spun to face him.

“Hux!”

“Ren, you’re awake. I was beginning to think--”

“Something is wrong!”

“What?” Hux said, straightening a bit, “I just cleaned your whole--”

“Where’s Izzy! How long have I been asleep?” Ren’s eyes were scanning the room wildly.

“Relax, Ren. It’s alright. Izzy’s right here,” Hux said, indicating the baby-wearing wrap, “You’ve been asleep since I arrived yesterday. I checked in on you a few times but you looked exhausted. I didn’t have the heart to wake you.”

“Is she ok?” Ren stammered, “I need to hold her! Where are my lizards?”

“Ok,” Hux said and began unwrapping Izzy, “Ok. It’s fine. She’s fine. The lizards are at school. The carpool driver was upset about their homework. And I was upset about his horrendous footwear. But that’s neither here nor there.”

Ren licked his dry lips and blinked, still looking around desperately.

“What’s wrong, Kylo?”

“I don’t know!” Ren said, wiping sweat from his brow and reaching out for Izzy, “I felt something! A disturbance in the Force. Something is wrong! Someone is hurt! I thought it was Izzy! Or my lizards!”

“No,” Hux said as he finished unwrapping Izzy, “She’s a bit sneezy, but she’s fine. The lizards are fine too. Though, Agamemnon ate his entire backpack.”

Hux handed Izzy over and Ren held her close. He kissed her forehead dozens of times and clutched her to his chest.

“Everything’s alright,” Hux said, “Izzy’s quite agreeable and she makes a fine furniture assembly companion. I ordered that wrap I was telling you about  and--”

“Have you heard from my parents?” Ren asked.

“No. Were you expecting--”

“Something’s wrong,” Ren muttered, “I need to text Snoke.”

***

“Hold on,” Hux said, rubbing his temple, “Slow down, Kylo. Tell me again.”

Ren had put Izzy in her crib and thrown himself across his bed, sobbing, his face buried in a pillow.

“Kylo, please,” Hux said, “Talk to me?”

Ren eventually sat up and sniffled. He wiped at his eyes. “Snoke is dead!”

“Ok,” Hux said, “You said that. What happened? You said he was eating pretzels?”

“Pretzels!” Ren said, then broke down in sobs again.

Hux shook his head and went to the bed. He knelt in front of Ren.

“Ren. Please. Focus. How did he die from eating pretzels? Did someone poison his--”

“He choked!” Ren said, “He was watching football and eating pretzels and he choked!”

Hux stared in disbelief. “He choked to death on a pretzel?”

“He’s dead!” Ren wailed and fell back into the bed.

The Supreme Leader of the galaxy had choked to death on a pretzel while watching a sports match. Hux felt a laugh rising up, but suppressed it.

“Kylo,” Hux said, crawling into the bed now, “Are you sure? You’re absolutely certain?”

“Of course I’m sure!” Ren said and snuggled up to Hux fiercely, “He’s dead!”

Ren gripped Hux’s shirt and cried into his chest while Hux dug into his back pocket to retrieve his phone. He hadn’t checked in with work since he’d arrived at the treehouse. Phasma had called him 26 times.

“Shit,” Hux muttered as, from her crib in the other room, Izzy began to cry. Ren clung to Hux and sobbed.

“Ren,” Hux said, “I’m going to go check on Izzy.”

“I told him I hated him!” Ren said, “Before I left. It was the last thing I said to him!”

Hux shrugged. “Yes, well, we all hated him a little bit.”

Ren shoved Hux away and buried his face in a pillow again.

Hux got out of bed and called Phasma back and stuck the phone between his ear and shoulder, then went to get Izzy.

“General!” Phasma said as soon as he picked up, “You need to get back here STAT. The Supreme Leader is dead and one of the stormtroopers found out. Now they’re all staging an uprising!”

“Phasma, I--”

“It’s chaos!”

“Ok,” Hux said, and picked up Izzy, “Ok. I know. Fuck.”

“He’s only been dead 4 hours and the rest of our stormtroopers are threatening to defect.”

“I’ll get back there as soon as I can,” Hux said and hung up. He picked up Izzy and took her back out to the kitchen. Just as he got to the fridge to get her a bottle, Hux heard the front door open.

He turned. And saw him.  _ Eduardo. _

They made eye contact. Hux froze.  _ Eduardo was here. _

He was a bit taller than Ren, with dark hair, beautiful tan skin, bright brown eyes, long eyelashes, ridiculous dimples and a dashing smile. He had a broad chest and shoulders, with chiseled abs and hard biceps. He smiled as he shut the door behind him, but his smile faded when he saw Hux. He had a box with Swedish words printed on the side hoisted up onto his shoulder. He was shirtless, and sweaty, just as Hux’s vision had foreseen. Hux hated him.

“Hola,” he said and waved, “Mi nombre es Eduardo.”

Hux still froze. Izzy wailed.

“ ¿Estás Hux?”

Hux said nothing.

“ ¿ Ben está aquí?”

From the bedroom, Ren emerged.

“ ¿ Qué estás haciendo aquí?” Ren said, his eyes and hair wild.

When Eduardo saw Ren’s red eyes and dried tears, his brow furrowed. “¿Que pasó? ¿Estas bien?"

“Ahora no es un buen momento,” Ren said.

Hux stared. “Kylo,” he said carefully, “What is he doing here? What’s he saying? What’s going on?”

“My name is Eduardo,” Eduardo said carefully, “You are the General Hux?”

“Yes,” Hux said sharply, “I am. Why are you here?”

“IKEA sold for Izzy a changing table,” Eduardo said slowly, “I came to deliver?”

Ren approached him and snatched the box, heavy as it was.

“I’ve got it,” Ren said, “You can go.”

“¿Que pasó?” Eduardo asked again.

“I need you to leave, Eduardo,” Ren said, “How much do I owe you for the changing table?”

Eduardo stared at him curiously, his perfect brows furrowed in confusion.

“Necesitas irte,” Ren said impatiently, “¿Cuánto le debo por la mesa? Usted debe aprender a hablar Inglés.”

Eduardo’s brow furrowed more and he blinked sheepishly. “I am working on my English,” he said, speaking slowly and carefully, “The table was fifty-nine dollars and ninety-nine cents. But you do not owe me money. Why are you crying?”

“Go away, Eduardo!”

“You cleaned up the--” Eduardo began.

“I cleaned up,” Hux snapped.

“Isadora? I can see her?” Eduardo asked nervously and blinked at Ren.

“No,” Hux said, “No, he can’t see Izzy! Ren. He needs to leave! Why is he here?”

“I came to deliver the table,” Eduardo said, indicating the box.

“Thank you for the table. I’ll pay you back as soon as--”

“Why are you crying?” Eduardo asked again, “¿Estas bien, mi amor?”

Hux’s nostrils flared. He didn’t know much spanish, but he knew enough.

_ “Mi amor?”  _ Hux demanded.

“He didn’t mean it,” Ren said, with a sigh, “He calls everyone--”

“Mi amor!” Hux yelled.

“He call his sheep mi amor!”

“Lo siento,” Eduardo said, “I did not mean to cause trouble?”

“Get out!” Hux yelled.

“You need to leave,” Ren said with a sigh.

“Sí,” Eduardo said, backing away from Hux -- Hux who’s face was now red with rage, “Lo siento. And I got for Izzy the changing table in pink.”

“That’s fine, Eduardo,” Ren said.

“I know you wanted  _ amarillo, _ but they did not have it in stock,” Eduardo explained, “Back order. Six weeks, they said.”

“It’s fine,” Ren said, “Thank you.”

Eduardo turned to go and Hux glared at him, his eyes staring daggers into Eduardo’s annoyingly well-muscled back. Eduardo left without another word and shut the door behind him.

“What the hell was that!” Hux yelled.

Ren rolled his eyes. “I can’t do this with you right now, Hux,” Ren said and carried the box into the nursery.

“Your ex shows up shirtless with your daughter’s crib and calls you  _ mi amor _ and you  _ can’t do this with me right now?” _ Hux yelled, following behind him with Izzy, “What the fuck is going on?”

“He was going to IKEA to exchange the sheets for Izzy’s crib because they sent me the wrong ones and while he was there I asked him if he could pick up a changing table! That’s it!”

Hux looked out of the nursery window as Eduardo rumbled away in a vintage Ford truck, a few sheep bleating and sniffing the air in the flatbed.

“And you couldn’t do that yourself?” Hux asked.

“No!” Ren said, “Izzy’s been too sick to fly and IKEA is halfway across the galaxy!”

“Then why didn’t you ask me to pick them up on the way?”

“Because you weren’t talking to me and you didn’t even tell me you were coming here!”

Hux sighed angrily, but had to admit that Ren had a point.

“I’m sorry, ok?” Ren said, “I needed help and Eduardo offered.”

“What else has happened since I’ve been gone?” Hux said, “What have you two been doing?”

“Nothing! I ordered some furniture. He delivered it and got started on putting some of it together. He exchanged some sheets. He picked up a changing table. That’s it!”

“Your ex has been here assembling furniture and you didn’t bother to tell me!”

“It’s not a big deal!” 

“Well, it is to me!” Hux said, and placed Izzy back in her crib. “I need to get back to the  _ Finalizer. _ The stormtroopers are rioting again.”

“I’m sorry, Hux,” Ren said with a sigh, “I should’ve told you.”

Hux went back to the bedroom and snatched up his suitcase. He began stuffing his clothes back in.

“Thank you,” Ren said, when he realized Hux wasn’t going to say anything else, “For coming here. And cleaning up. And taking care of Izzy.”

Hux ignored him.

“I’m sorry I slept so long. I didn’t mean to,” Ren said, looking down and biting his lip. He knew that drive Hux crazy.  

“It’s alright,” Hux muttered, catching a glimpse of Ren’s sorrowful puppy-dog eyes, “You needed rest.”

“I’m sorry about Eduardo,” Ren said, “He was just trying to help and I’ve been busy--”

“You weren’t going to tell me about your neighbors either? The Resistance pilot? And FN-2187?”

Ren sighed. “That’s just Poe. And Finn. He goes by Finn now. And that house has been in Poe’s family since he was a kid,” he said, “And he and Finn are really sweet.”

Hux sighed. “What are we going to do about funeral arrangements?” he asked, “Do you want me to begin making them when I get back to the Finalizer? Or did you want to do it?” 

“I’ll do it,” Ren said softly.

Hux zipped his suitcase. “I don’t want Eduardo to come back here, Kylo.”

Ren nodded. “Ok,” he said softly.

They were silent for a few moments as Hux checked his suitcase again, then shut it and placed it by the door.

“I didn’t even get to give you kiss,” Hux said and crossed the room, then held Ren’s face in his hands and kissed him and wiped the remnants of his tears, “You’re mine. All mine. And I love you.”

Ren nodded. Hux kissed him again and ran his thumb over Hux’s lips. “Eduardo can’t come back here.”

“I know, Hux. You just said that.

“If Izzy needs something, let me know. I can take care of it, ok?”

Ren nodded. Hux kissed him again and then used his thumb to part Ren’s lips slightly. Ren kissed his thumb.

“I’m sorry about the Supreme Leader. I wish I could stay and cuddle you close until it stops hurting, but I have to take care of things at work,” Hux said, “Once this is all done, I’ll come back. And we can cuddle and kiss and talk, ok?”

Ren nodded again.

“Are you ok?” Hux asked, “I know you and Snoke disagreed, but he was still important to you. Do you need me to stay?”

“I’m ok,” Ren said, “It’s ok. You have to get back to work.”

“I’ll call and check on you and Izzy as soon as I get back to the  _ Finalizer, _ ok?”

“Ok,” Ren said and kissed Hux’s thumb that was still over his lips, “Thank you for coming. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

***

Snoke’s funeral took place five days later at his temple resort. Snoke had requested a grand funeral with plenty of fanfare, so Ren had begrudgingly complied and hired a First Order-approved funeral coordinator to help. 

The funeral took place on the beach and Ren had hired Snoke’s favorite mariachi band to play during the wake and cocktail hour. Snoke had wanted the attendance to be “robust,” so Ren had invited everyone Snoke had ever met, worked with, overthrown or tried to kill. The guest list came in around 650.

Hux and Ren hadn’t seen each other since Snoke’s death, but they’d kept in touch. Hux arrived to the funeral halfway through the viewing and cocktail hour to find Ren with Izzy in the resort’s mediation room. Ren was seated on the floor with Izzy, his back against the wall and his eyes shut. Hux wasn’t sure if he was sleeping or meditating.

“I’m awake,” Ren said, and opened his eyes, “Snoke is bugging me even from the grave. He’s asking about his funeral attendance.”

“Oh,” Hux said. Ren stood and crossed the floor to meet Hux in a kiss. He was wearing a rented tux and he’d bought a dress for Izzy.

“I missed you,” Hux said and gave Ren another kiss, “You two look nice.”

“Me and Izzy missed you too.”

“Can I hold her?” Hux asked.

Ren nodded and handed her over.

“Princess Izzy,” Hux said softly and kissed her forehead, “Do you remember me?”

Izzy cooed and Hux smiled again. “I missed her,” he said, “She’s really wonderful, Kylo.”

“Yeah,” he said, “She’s pretty great.”

“I’m sorry I had to leave quickly,” Hux said and bounced Izzy, “I’ve missed you so much..”

“It’s ok,” Ren said, then tugged at Hux’s collar and smirked, “I like your uniform, General.”

“You like it?” Hux asked and straightened, “It’s the uniform reserved for state funerals.”

“It’s regal,” Ren said, straightening the collar and bending to kiss Izzy, “And also a bit morbid. I like it.”

Hux smiled, “Thank you.”

“How’s the First Order doing?” Ren asked, “I know this funeral wasn’t cheap?”

Hux’s smile faded. “We’re bankrupt.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” Hux said, “We’re foreclosing on the Finalizer. Liquidating assets. Filing for chapter 11.”

“Fuck,” Ren said, “I’m sorry, babe.”

“It’s alright,” Hux said, “But we should talk about it later. Let’s focus on you, and get through the funeral and then we can talk about the First Order, ok?”

“Ok,” Ren said.

***

The funeral eulogy Snoke had written for himself before he died was a 90-minute speech delivered entirely in Sanskrit by a Buddhist priest. Izzy had started to cry 15 minutes in, so Hux had taken her out, and gotten to miss nearly an hour of it as a result. They’d stayed for the after-party at the temple’s Michelin star restaurant, then left once the after-after-party had moved to the temple’s bar. 

They flew home to Endor, mostly in comfortable silence and arrived home just after sunset. They put Izzy to bed and then undressed and crawled into Ren’s bed to finally spend some time alone. Ren buried his head in Hux’s neck and Hux kissed his hair.

“I’ve missed this,” Hux said, smelling the top of Ren’s head.

“I’ve missed this too,” Ren said, then lifted his head to kiss Hux. Hux kissed back, closing his eyes and savoring the feeling of his lips finally meeting Ren’s again. They’d been so busy arguing they hadn’t had time to properly kiss over the last few weeks. But they did now, Ren gently pushing Hux back and crawling on top of him to deepen their kiss. He settled between Hux’s legs and kissed him slowly, both of their lips and tongues finally taking time to find each other like they had nowhere else in the galaxy to be.

***

Ren cradled Hux’s neck and head in one hand while he used his other to carefully stroke Hux in time with his thrusts. 

“I’ve missed having you underneath me, General,” Ren said softly.

Hux smiled and met Ren’s eyes. “I’ve missed it too,” he said and wrapped his legs around Ren’s waist, “This feels perfect, Ren.”

Hux shut his eyes and let his head and neck sink back into Ren’s hand, feeling Ren’s fingers curl gently at the base of his neck and trusting Ren to hold him there. Their sex lately had been minimal, and when they did it, it was mostly filled with bickering. They were quiet now, the only noise in the room was their soft moaning and bodies colliding.

Ren bent over after a few minutes and pulled Hux closer to him. “I love you so much,” Ren whispered in his ear, “I hate when we’re apart.”

“I love you too, Ren,” Hux said, “You can’t ever -- we can’t ever be apart again, ok?”

Ren lifted enough to look at Hux’s eyes as they kept fucking. “Never, ever,” Ren murmured and sat up straight, placing Hux’s legs over his shoulders and going at it quicker.  

Ren eventually finished inside of Hux and Hux finished on Ren’s stomach. Once they were done, Ren came down to rest on Hux then rolled off of him. They were silent for a little while, just enjoying the silence and the cuddles, then got up to shower.

They showered, smiling and kissing under the spray, and then got out together to dried off. Ren heated up leftovers they’d brought home from the funeral after-party and then they crawled back into bed together to eat pasta. Snoke had always liked Italian food.

“We’ll have to start the foreclosure process on the  _ Finalizer _ within the week,” Hux said as he swirled his pasta around his fork.

“I’m so sorry, babe,” Ren said.

Hux sighed. “It couldn’t be avoided I suppose.”

“But still,” Ren said, “I know how much that ship means to you.”

Hux shrugged. “And we’re bankrupt. Declaring chapter 11.”

Ren nodded. “You said that. What’s going to happen? To the -- the First Order?”

Hux sighed. “I’ve been thinking about a lot. I think we’ll have to operate from a grounds base, like you suggested. With a skeleton crew.”

“You’re going to do it?”

Hux nodded. “It’s the best way. It’s the only way.”

Ren munched on his breadstick. “But… where?”

Hux took a deep breath. “I don’t want to be away from you again,” Hux said, “I’m proposing we set up here.”

“On Endor?”

“Yes.”

“Babe, this planet has already been through enough with the Empire hosting its shield here.”

“I know,” Hux said, “But this will be low-key.”

“A low key First Order operations base? Hux… ”

“I know. I know it sounds ridiculous,” Hux said, “But it will really just be myself, Phasma, Mitaka and a few other senior officers. Focused mostly on repairing damage and planning for the future. We won’t be engaging in any offensive attacks. We won’t have many weapons.”

“Where do you plan to operate from?”

Hux shrugged.

“Here?”

“Here?”

“Yes.”

“Here. In my house?”

“Yes.”

Ren shook his head. “I’m happy that you’re taking my advice, babe. But I really wanted to leave the First Order behind. And not have it operating out of my living room.”

“I understand, Kylo,” Hux said, “But we really have nowhere else to go.”

“I know a contractor. I can get you some office space in the village,” Ren said, “That way you can still live here. And be close to me and Izzy. But not operate out of my house.”

Hux nodded. “Ok,” Hux said, “Alright. That’ll work. Thank you, love.”

“You’re welcome,” Ren said and kissed Hux’s hair, “So you … um. You’re ok with that? With moving in here? With me? And Izzy? And the lizards>”

“Of course,” Hux said, “I’d like nothing more.”

Ren smiled and used his breadstick to scrape around the bottom of the marinara dipping sauce container.

“There’s just one thing I want to ask, love?” Hux said.

“Yeah?” Ren asked, focused on extracting the last of the marinara.

“Phasma told me that your break up with Eduardo was mutual,” Hux said, “But you explicitly told me that Eduardo left you.”

Ren nodded. “Yeah,” he said, fidgeting a bit, “Um. Well. Both are sort of true?”

Hux looked curiously. “Kylo? I need to know what happened, love.”

Ren sighed. “We fought a lot,” Ren said, “And we broke up a lot. We broke up all the time.”

“Yeah,” Hux said, “You mentioned that.”

“Our  _ official _ breakup was mutual.”

“Your  _ official _ breakup?”

Ren took a deep breath. “He broke up with me right before the weaponry summit. The week before,” Ren fidgeted with his fingers, “He took some of his stuff in a bag and left that night. But we never really got to talk about it before I left for Corellia.”

Ren paused.

“Kylo?”

“We didn’t talk again to officially confirm the break up until after the summit.”

Hux stared.

“I mean, we knew we were going to, but it was just confusing because we broke up so many times and it was hard to know which we were real and which weren’t--”

“Eduardo was still your boyfriend when we had sex?”

“We’d broken up!”

“You just said you didn’t break up until after the summit.”

“That’s when we made it official. But we weren’t together anymore by then!”

“Kylo,” Hux said, “You told me was your ex!”

“He was,” Ren said, “He broke up with me! We just -- I didn’t have a chance to circle back with him and make sure it was official until after you and I--”

“Fucked.”

“I’m sorry, Hux.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Our trial relationship was just going so well,” Ren said, “And after so many years fighting with Eduardo it felt so good to be with you and to be happy. I didn’t want to start a fight.”

Hux sighed.

“Does Eduardo know?”

Ren nodded. “I told him when we like… officially.”

“When did you officially end it?”

Ren sighed. “We ended when he broke up with me,” he said, “But we confirmed it as soon as I got back from Corellia. That was the mutual part.”

“I wish you would’ve told me this, Ren.”

“I know,” Ren said, “I’m sorry.”

Hux sighed and chewed on his pasta. “Why did he break up with you? Why were the two of you always fighting?”

Ren rolled his eyes. “He wanted me to leave the First Order. He’s known me a long time. He knew me before --” Ren swallowed his breadstick, “Before I was Kylo Ren. And he didn’t like who I was becoming. And wanted Ben back. But he didn’t want to lose me entirely.”

“Oh,” Hux said. “How long have you known him?”

Ren shrugged. “Since grade school. We grew up on Yavin IV. His parents worked at the rebellion base. My parents always wanted me to end up with him. Or with Poe.”

“With Poe?”

Ren nodded. “I dated Poe in high school before I dated Eduardo.”

“You dated Poe? He lives next door, Kylo.”

“Yeah,” Ren said, “I know. With Finn.”

“And they’re apparently together?”

“Yeah,” Ren said, “But, Poe is clingy. I hope Finn likes to be smothered.”

“Have you dated everyone on Yavin IV?”

Ren rolled his eyes. “Just Poe and Eduardo.”

Hux sighed. “You’re surrounded by your exes, Kylo. We’re surrounded by your ex lovers.”

Ren shrugged. “Yeah,” he said, and shifted his weight so Hux could see the tattoo peeking out from his underwear, “But I’m yours.”

Ren swallowed the last of his breadstick, then wiped his hands on his pants, setting loose a cascade of crumbs into the bedsheets. “I’m yours now and forever, Hux.”

_ In the final installment: Set a year in the future, Hux and Ren have settled into a frightfully fluffy life together on Endor. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snoke’s death was inspired by one of my favorite news stories in modern history: [Choking on Pretzel, Bush Faints Briefly](http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jan/14/news/mn-22490)


	4. The Kind of Feeling, I’ve Waited So Long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These two space idiots have finally found domestic bliss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay in posting this. It's been a busy week and a half or so!

 

**ONE YEAR LATER**

Ren sat back on his heels in the middle of the bed with Hux on his lap. He was buried deep inside of Hux, and since they only had ten minutes, he pounded into Hux from behind mercilessly, his fingers laced at Hux’s bellybutton to keep him in place. Hux had requested a good, hard fuck, and Ren intended to give him just that. They were halfway through, and Ren had already worked up a sweat.

“Fuck,” Hux breathed, “Kylo.”

“What?” Ren grunted.

“Why don’t you always fuck me this hard?”

“Because you don’t ask me to, General.”

Hux moaned and bent forward, using his hands to brace himself. Kylo held Hux’s waist and kept fucking him.

Hux slouched again and Kylo pulled him upright and hooked an arm around his waist to keep him there.

“Hold still, General,” Ren said.

Hux moaned and gripped Ren’s hand over his belly. “Stop calling me that.”

“Never,” Ren said, “You’ll always be my general.”

“And you like it don’t you?”

“Yes, General.”

“Harder, Ren,” Hux said, “And don’t talk so much. I told you I wanted it hard and fast and--”

Ren lifted his hips to drive into Hux harder and faster, his arm still gripping Hux’s waist to keep in place. The only sound in the room was their bodies making contact over and over. Ren was sweaty, his hips were beginning to tire, but he couldn’t stop yet.

“Ky-,” Hux breathed, “Kylo.”

“General?”

_“Fuck,_ that’s so good.”

“I know,” Ren grunted, “I know it is.”

They breathed heavily, both of their bodies now slick with sweat. “Harder, Kylo,” Hux breathed after a few moments. Ren complied, moaning louder as he did.

“I’m going to come,” Ren muttered a few more moments later.

“Not until I say so,” Hux said, “Touch me.”

Ren used one hand to steady himself and the other to stroke Hux. Hux arched his back, resting on Ren’s chest, his chest heaving.

“Hux,” Ren moaned, “You feel so good. I can’-t”

“Not yet,” Hux said.

Ren huffed. “Babe,” he whined.

“And don’t whine,” Hux breathed, then shushed him.

Ren kept stroking Hux, willing himself not to come until Hux gave him permission.

“You can come after I do,” Hux said.

“Ok,” Ren breathed, “Is that going to be soon or--”

Hux came all over their bed sheets as Ren was mid-stroke.

“Fuck,” Ren muttered as he came immediately after, finishing inside of Hux and squeezing his waist. His body shuddered and he collapsed forward onto Hux. Hux managed to keep them upright as their timer went off.

Hux sighed. “The bus will be here in fifteen minutes and the girls will be up in five.”

***

“Sex on a deadline is exhausting,” Hux said as they cleaned themselves up quickly and got dressed for the bus.

Ren sighed. “We could’ve taken fifteen minutes,” he said, “It wouldn’t be the first time we got the kids off of the bus with sex hair.”

“Stop it, Ren,” Hux said, “And you were supposed to be working this afternoon anyways.”

Ren huffed. “I don’t like my mid-century Jedi class! They like it when I cancel.”

“You can’t just keep cancelling classes because you want to have sex, darling,” Hux said as he quickly fixed his hair and went back out to the bedroom to take the sheets off.

“Well when else are we going to have sex?” Ren asked and helped him pull off the sheets.

“We had time scheduled tomorrow evening after the kids go to sleep.”

“I have essays to grade.”

Hux put the sheets in the laundry hamper.

“Are you sure we can’t get a nanny droid?” Ren asked, “We’d have a lot more time to do things like have sex and pretend we’re not parents and go on dates and fuck each other in the living room.”

“We don’t need a nanny droid,” Hux said, “And I’ve already told you I don’t want a droid raising the kids.”

Hux left their bedroom and went down the hall to the nursery. Millicent was sleeping in front of Izzy’s crib. She liked the way Ewoks smelled, so she often stood guard over Izzy’s crib while she slept and followed her as she toddled around the treehouse.

“Poe and Finn have one!” Ren said, “And it wouldn’t be _raising_ the kids. Just helping.”

“I don’t care what Poe and Finn are doing,” Hux said and bent to kiss Izzy. She’d woken up, but was waiting patiently in her crib and reading a picture book about the Galactic Empire while Millicent looked on. Hux picked her up and murmured _Princess Izzy_ as he hugged her.

Ren sighed and let down the front of the other crib, bending to pick up Izzy’s little sister. Six months after Ren had adopted Izzy, their family counselor had suggested it might be easier for Izzy to grow up with a human family if she had another Ewok to identify with. Three months later, they’d adopted Evangeline, a three-week old Ewok who’d been born to a teenage mom who couldn’t keep her. They liked to call her Evie for short.

“Maybe we could at least get a nanny until the girls are old enough to start pre-school?” Ren said.

“We’re not hiring a nanny,” Hux said as they went back out into the living room.

Evangeline started up a cry, so Ren bounced her high above his head. She giggled at him while Hux made her a bottle.

Downstairs, they heard the bus rumbling down the road.

“Can you go down and get the boys?” Hux asked as he put Izzy in a highchair, “I’ll feed Evie.”

Ren gave Evangeline a kiss before he handed her to Hux, then he slipped on his Birkenstocks and descended the ladder down into the yard. The huge yellow school bus, speckled with mud since it was the rainy season, pulled up in front of the house.

Ren waved and the driver waved back. A few moments later, the doors opened.

The first kid, Stuart, dismounted with a graceful hop and raced across the lawn to Ren. He was five, but liked to remind everyone that he’d be six soon. He was terribly competent for a soon-to-be six-year-old. He could juggle four hacky-sacks at once and point out Poland on a map. He knew how to spell chrysanthemum and he and Hux were working on his multiplication tables. He was tall and sturdy and sure-footed with good intuition and exceptional motor skills. He had short blond hair and green eyes, a few strategically placed freckles and a heartwarming smile. Ren described him as _annoyingly perfect._ Even Hux described him as _unusually high-functioning._

Stuart lept into Ren’s arms and Ren lifted him and spun him around.

“I caught a grasshopper today, dad!” Stuart said.

“That’s great,” Ren said, “How was your spelling test?”

“I got an A,” Stuart said and produced the marked up exam from his pocket as evidence as Ren sat him down, “Can I put it on the fridge?”

“Of course, love,” Ren said and bent to kiss his hair. Stuart started up the ladder with his backpack, exam paper and lunchpail, taking the steps with ease and quickness. Ren watched, until behind him, he heard a thud.

Ren turned to see Bertrand face first in the grass, his little arms and legs flailing and his lunch pail’s contents scattered about. Ren rushed to help him.

Though Bertrand and Stuart were fraternal twins, little could be said for their similarities.

“Are you ok, Bertie?” Ren asked.

Bertrand struggled to get up, and Ren helped him. His glasses were smashed again.

“I missed a step,” Bertrand concluded.

“I know,” Ren said, “It’s alright.” Bertrand missed a step most times he was faced with a staircase of any sort. Bertrand dusted off his cargo shorts and pushed up his broken glasses.

The bus driver, used to Bertrand’s missteps, had already shut the door and was rumbling down the way to Poe and Finn’s house.

“How was your day?” Ren asked as he collected Bertrand’s spilled lunch pail.

Bertrand shrugged. “I lost my tooth.”

“Oh,” Ren said and took Bertrand’s backpack for him, “That’s great. We can put it under your pillow and the tooth fairy can you leave you money for when we go to the village this weekend.”

“I swallowed it,” Bertrand said.

“Ok,” Ren said, “Well try for the next one, ok?”

Of all the baby teeth Bertrand had lost, few had lived to tell the tale. He swallowed most of them, or dropped them down the sink moments after they were plucked from his gums. One of them had wound up in Izzy’s bottle. Another had found it’s way beneath Hux’s pillow, but the tooth fairy hadn’t left them any money for that one.

Bertrand was a disastrous five-year-old. His cheeks were eternally red, as everyday life seemed to leave him flustered. He had scraggly red hair and hardly any teeth. He was a knock-kneed, frail little thing with two left feet and an endless streak of bad luck. Where Stuart prospered, Bertrand floundered. He was fifteen pounds underweight and allergic to more foods than he wasn’t. He spoke with a lisp and was blind as a bat. He had a tendency to burn when left in the sun for more than 90 seconds, so they dressed him in bucket hats and long sleeves in the summer. Ren thought he was perfect. Hux adored him.

Ren slung Bertrand’s backpack onto his own back and picked him up. He kissed Bertrand’s hair and smoothed his cowlick down. It popped right back up.

“How was your spelling test?” Ren asked.

“I misspelled my own name,” Bertrand said, “But the teacher didn’t take any points off for that.”

“Do you want to try the ladder today?”

Bertrand hadn’t yet mastered getting into his own house.

“No. I stubbed my toe at recess and the nurse said I should stay off of it.”

Ren shifted Bertrand to his back and Bertrand gripped his dad’s neck as Ren climbed the ladder. Ren sat Bertrand down carefully once they were on the treehouse landing, but then Bertrand tripped over his shoelace on his way inside. In the living room, Stuart was doing a headstand.

“Look at what I learned today, dad!” Stuart said, as he lifted one arm, then scissored his legs.

They’d adopted the twins from an agency on Corellia. Due to an influx of refugees from the Outer Rim, Corellia was having a huge immigrant crisis, many of whom were orphans. Stuart and Bertrand’s parents had passed away when they were 4. After the damage they’d inflicted on Corellia, Ren and Hux figured adopting a couple of orphans was the least they could do to help repair the country’s infrastructure. Plus, they’d discovered with the Ewoks that they really loved being parents. 

Hux and Ren hadn’t imagined themselves adopting older kids, but after they’d met Stu and Bertie at an adoption meetup, they couldn’t resist. Stu had recited the Gettysburg Address while Bertrand had gotten nervous about having to introduce himself and threw up the ravioli he’d eaten for lunch earlier.

Bertrand and Stuart had little in common, so didn’t spend much time playing together, but Bertie got along well with the animals. The animals just barely tolerated Bertrand. He’d lifted Agamemnon from his cage as soon as he got inside and rubbed between his eyes.

“Why aren’t you at work, dad?” Stuart asked Ren, still in a headstand.

“Yeah,” Hux said with a smirk as he fed Evangeline, “Why aren’t you at work?”

“I had a -- thing. A meeting,” Ren said.

“I thought you had class on Tuesdays? The mid-century Jedi?” Stuart dismounted his headstand with grace and came over to the kitchen to get a juice box.

“I don’t -- it was cancelled,” Ren said and Hux eyed him.

“Why’d you cancel it?” Stuart asked and jumped up to the countertop to sit with one hop. He slurped on his juice box.

“I cancelled it because,” Ren said, “Because we -- are -- having family pictures done tonight.”

“What?” Stuart said.

_“What?”_ Hux said.

“That’s not a good idea,” Bertrand warned from the living room where he was sprawled on the floor, playing with Agamemnon and Dimitri while Bernadine kept her distance, “Camera flashes sometime cause me to have a seizure.”

***

The unfortunate JCPenney photographer on staff that night was growing weary with the clan before him.

“The lizard has wandered off again,” he said, peeking out from behind his drape, “The one with the horns.”

“That’s Agamemnon!” Ren said and bounced Evie on his knee to keep her from crying out, “Can you get him, Bertie?”

Bertrand, outfitted in dark sunglasses to minimize the side effects of his epilepsy, searched for Agamemnon on the floor of the dimly lit studio.

“Can you help him, please, Stuart?” Hux asked and moved Izzy to his other arm, “My arms are tired, Kylo.”

“I know. Do we have a good one yet?” Ren asked the photographer.

“No,” the man said simply.

“Here, give me Izzy,” Ren said.

“Just switch me places so I can sit,” Hux said.

“I can’t find Agamemnon!” Bertrand said.

“Dimitri fell asleep!” Stuart said.

Evangeline wailed as soon as Ren stopped bouncing her.

Ren sighed, “Can you just take two or three more and send me the digital files?” Ren said, “I can piece something together where all of our eyes are open.”

***

“Looks really great, General,” Phasma said, looking at the horrific family photo at work the next day. Evangeline was wailing, Stuart was clutching Dimitri and Bernadine and smiling like a maniac. Hux was switching places with Ren. Bertrand, outfitted in sunglasses, was holding Agamemnon and looking about four feet above the camera. _He couldn’t see much,_ Hux had explained. Phasma handed the photo back to him.

“It was Kylo’s idea,” Hux said and rolled his eyes, but put it in a frame on his desk anyways, “He didn’t have the heart to tell Stu that he’d skipped an entire afternoon of work to spend ten minutes fucking me. So he dragged us all to JCPenney for a picture as a cover-up.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Phasma said.

Hux shrugged his shoulders. “It did to Kylo.”

“And you don’t have to call me that anymore,” Hux said, “I’m not a General.”

“Old habits die hard, General,” Phasma said and sat down behind her desk, then yawned as he opened her email. “How are things?”

“Alright, I suppose,” Hux said with a sigh, “I have a meeting with General Organa and her cabinet later this morning to discuss the bailout plan for the textiles industry on Naboo. My _Starkiller_ probationary period is halfway up, after which I can resume work full-time. My five-year plans for the future prosperity and peace of the Jedi Order in conjunction with the First Order are--”

“I meant at home,” Phasma said, “With Kylo and your dozens of children.”

“Oh,” Hux said, “Things are fine. And we only have four children.”

“Mitaka wants to adopt now because he says everyone’s doing it,” Phasma said with a sigh and deleted the Jedi Order bi-monthly newsletter from her email inbox. “But what were you saying about your five-year plans for future prosperity or whatever?”

Hux straightened and licked his thumb, then pulled a print-out from his top drawer. He gave it to Phasma.

“My Five-Year Plan for the Peace and Prosperity of the Jedi and First Orders,” Hux said.

Phasma eyed it.

“I just picked up the booklets from Kinko’s this morning,” Hux said, “It’s board-approved now, so we’re in phase one.”

Hux opened to page four. “Which you can find outlined on page four.”

“I’ve already read this, Hux.”

“This one has some new graphics and prediction charts.”

Phasma sighed, but looked it over anyways. Hux, though he was on probation following his catastrophic and lethal use of _Starkiller Base_ , was permitted to operate part-time as the Director of the Future for the Intergalactic Planetary People’s Union -- the formal name given to the joint union of the Jedi Order and the First Order -- which liked to Ren remind them always returned search results for the Beastie Boy’s song _Intergalactic,_ when typed into Google.

Both sides, having realized that complete and utter domination of the galaxy wasn’t likely to be achieved by either party after countless years of crippling war, had met in the middle and decided to join forces to build a galaxy that took the best parts of each side. The Intergalactic Planetary People’s Union implemented the order and hierarchy of the First Order with the morals and leniency of the Jedi Order.

Even so, the two sides of the union shared separate offices. The Jedi and Resistance were hell-bent on maintaining their presence and base on D’Qar, while the former First Order had set up shop in a trendy new village on Endor. Ren had hired his treehouse contractor to build them a custom office. The space was clean and modern and outfitted with expansive wall-sized star decals to help them at least pretend they were still in space.

The staff was minimal, with Phasma operating as the CEO and Mitaka as the COO. Ren was the only one with a dual role in both the Jedi Order and First Order wings of the Union. He was CFO for the First Order half and, having successfully completed his coursework for a Ph.D. in Dark Side Force Techniques, taught classes at the Academy’s outpost on Endor.

They had a few other former senior officers of the First Order employed as well, but their staff was small. With the reduced staff and overhead costs, they were almost out of debt.

“This looks good, Hux,” Phasma said, a genuine nod, “Did you see the resume we got in today? For the opening for Director of Weaponry Initiatives?”

“No,” Hux said, “Anyone we know?”

“Your dad.”

***

Hux and Ren had couples therapy later that evening with their shrink. They had therapy once a week each Wednesday, leaving the kids with Han and Leia while they went to go hash out any relationship issues that crept up. Since they already had babysitters on the hook for the night, they’d rolled up date night and counseling into one.

“And how does it make you feel that Ben wants to hire a nanny droid?” the therapist asked kindly. The therapist was an older lady who had worked with Ben when he was a kid. She had been the only one he hadn’t tried to force choke when his parents first sent him to therapy in second grade, so she’d stuck around.

Hux, having spent his entire childhood, adolescence and adulthood suppressing his feelings, had now learned to let go. He cried in each and every therapy session.

Ren held out a box of tissues and Hux plucked another.

“It makes me feel like he doesn’t want to raise our kids!” Hux cried.

“I never said that,” Ren said, “I love our kids a lot. I’m just saying it’d be nice to have more time for each other outside of therapy date nights.”

Hux blew his nose, but cried still. “And I’m just worried that if we leave the kids with a droid that they’ll think we don’t care about them or that we don’t want them or that we don’t have time for them.”

“Ben, what do you think?”

Ren sighed. “I don’t think the kids will feel unloved--”

“We’ve only had Stu and Bertie for six months! We can’t just leave them with a strange droid!” Hux blew his nose again and then plucked another tissue.

“Your family has grown tremendously in the last year, Ben,” the therapist said, “While I think a nanny droid could be a good option for you in the future, I think that right now your family would benefit from the stability that only parents can bring to the table.”

Hux sobbed. Ren held his hand.

“I’m going to have to agree with Hux,” the therapist said, “I think you two should share the parenting duties for now.”

***

It was Ren’s turn to pick their after-therapy date night destination. The forecast was clear, which was rare for the rainy season, so Ren had chosen to pack a picnic dinner for them and drive up to an observatory he’d liked to visit when he was a kid.

The slope was muddy, but Ren’s ridiculous Wrangler did fine getting them up to the summit. They arrived at dusk and Ren spread out a blanket.

“Is that Izzy’s quilt?” Hux asked as he got their food out of the trunk, which was now covered in an alarming number of bumper stickers.

“It’s the only clean blanket we have left,” Ren said, “We haven’t had time for laundry this week.”

Hux sighed and sat down. “I’m off tomorrow afternoon. I’ll do it while the girls nap.”

Ren took a few candles from the trunk and placed them around the blanket, then lit them. For dinner, he’d packed actual salads made with real romaine lettuce, arugula and spinach, topped with more real vegetables. Ren doused his salad in ranch dressing, cheese and croutons from the cooler, then popped open a beer.

“I really didn’t mean to upset you by suggesting we hire a nanny,” Ren said and added more cheese to his salad, “I just thought it might help.”

“I know,” Hux said and picked at his salad, “I know you just wanted to help. It’s alright, love.”

Ren nodded.

“Stuart learned 3 more words today,” Hux said.

Stuart was in the habit of learning 2-3 new words per day.

“When I picked them up from school and took them to your parents house, he said he’d a troubling altercation with a colleague in his gym class. They’d struggled over exclusive rights to the best swing on the swingset, but reached an amicable resolution.”

“Only three of those were new words?” Ren said.

Hux laughed and then they were silent for a while, eating their dinner and sipping beer while crickets and cicadas chirruped around them, then quieted, then chirruped again in a steady rhythm.  

“I miss them. The kids,” Hux said, “When they’re not around.”

“Yeah?” Ren asked.

“Yeah,” Hux said, “Don’t you.”

Ren sipped his beer. “When I went to drop Bertrand back to school after his eye doctor appointment last week, he cried and clung to my neck and said he wanted to stay with me.”

“And I couldn’t stand to leave him there. So I let him skip the rest of the school day and we went to go climb trees at the park, then we ate ice cream at the parlor,” Ren said, “I made him promise not to tell you.”

Hux laughed. “He broke down and told me. Days ago.”

“I miss them all the time, Hux,” Ren said, “Sometimes I miss Evie when I’m holding her.”

“I miss them all the time, too,” Hux said, “Want to look at pictures I took of the kids this afternoon before I took them to your parents house?”

They finished their salads while Hux scrolled through pictures of the kids on his phone, then Ren pulled out a bucket of KFC chicken with several sides.  

“There’s chicken too?” Hux asked.

“Yep! Ren said, picking through the bucket with a fork, “That was just the appetizer! Do you want light or dark meat?”

Hux chuckled. “I think I just want mac and cheese.”

Ren gave him the container and kissed his forehead, “All yours, babe.”

They talked about work and the kids until dinner was done, and then Ren reclined on the blanket with his dessert -- a cookie roughly the size of his head. He gave Hux a piece and Hux laid down and curled up next to him.

The sun had gone down while they ate, leaving them mostly in darkness with the candles flickering around them. The crickets and cicadas had subsided to a low and steady buzz and a few fireflies appeared and disappeared around them. The sky was clear, even though it was the rainy season, so they stared up the stars and snuggled close to each other. The stars were bright and Hux focused on his favorite star system cluster, gripping Ren tightly around his torso and remembering when he’d lived there, but not missing it. Ren fidgeted, then wriggled out from under Hux. Hux sighed.

“What are you doing, Ren?” Hux asked, frowning at him, “I just got comfortable.”

“I need to pee!” he said and scurried away.

Hux sighed and laid on his back, he resumed looking back up at the sky and hugged his chest and shivered.

“Hurry up,” Hux called after him, “I’m cold!”

“It’s like 70 degrees out here, babe,” Ren said as he poked around for a good tree.

“Just hurry,” Hux said and curled up in the blanket.

Hux felt a chill creep in every time Kylo and the kids were away from him. He didn’t like it all. He curled in, hugging his own torso close until Kylo returned a few minutes later, settling back in next to Hux and clutching a bouquet of colorful wildflowers.

“Got you some flowers on my way back,” Ren said, smiling proudly. Hux smiled and took the flowers. He gave Ren a kiss and held them close to his chest. They’d found Hux a suitable allergy medication, so he could actually spend time outdoors and smell the flowers that Kylo and the kids picked for him. With the medication, he was finding nature wasn’t nearly as bad as he supposed it would be.

“Thank you, love.”

“I also got you something else,” Ren said after a few minutes, “But it’s really stupid. I might return it. Plus, we probably need the money to pay for Bertie’s braces.”

“What is it?”

“An engagement ring, I think,” Ren said, and rolled his eyes, “I ordered it online from Costco, but then I remembered that you already bought me one. It’s stupid, I know. I just --”

“Kylo?”

“Yeah?”

“You seriously bought me an engagement ring?”

“Yep,” Ren said. He pulled it out of his back pocket, dropped it on the blanket, then found it. He held it up in the starlight.

Hux’s eyes bulged. It was beautiful.

“When did you get this?” Hux asked. “Why did you get this?”

Ren shrugged. “I ordered it a few weeks ago. Because I want to marry you,” Ren said, “But then I remembered that you already bought one for me and we don’t need two do we? And I don’t think we have time to get married, with the boys starting first gra--”

Hux sat up. “Are you serious, Kylo?”

Ren sat up too, confused. “About what?”

“You bought this because you want to marry me?”

“Yeah,” Ren said, “I guess?”

“And you were going to return it?”

Ren nodded. “I figured we just need the one and we save the money for--”

“God you’re an imbecile,” Hux said, then held out his hand, “What are you doing? Put it on my finger.”

Ren put the ring on Hux’s finger and held out his hand to look at it.

“This is incredible,” Hux said, “You got this at Costco?”

“They have really nice jewelry,” Ren said, “Cruelty free diamonds, too. I did some research on the diamond indistry in--”

Hux interrupted Ren with a kiss, sudden and intense. He held Kylo’s face in his hands and kissed him deeply until Kylo kissed back.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to propose?”

“I think it’s supposed to be a surprise,” Ren said, “Also, I didn’t propose.”

Hux kissed him again. “I love you, Kylo,” he said when he pulled away.

“I love you too, Hux,” Ren said, “Does the ring fit ok?”

“It’s perfect,” Hux kissed Ren again, “I wish I had yours here to give you.”

“It’s ok,” Ren said simply, “I can get it when we get home.”

They laid back down on the blanket and Hux held out his hand above them, eyeing his ring in the starlight and twirling it around his finger. “We’re going to be together forever, Kylo.”

“That’s the plan,” Ren said.

Hux snuggled in closer to Kylo.

“I love you, General,” Ren said again,  “More than anything. I never want to lose you and I can’t stand to be without you ever again.”

“I love you too, Kylo,” Hux murmured, kissing the side of Kylo’s neck a few times, then breathing in his scent, “And I can’t ever live without you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Your comments and kudos really mean a lot!
> 
> I think I said so already, but this series, Discovery, is named after the 2001 Daft Punk album. It’s an album that I found at a particularly dark time in my life about nine years ago. I know it’s just an EDM album, but Discovery was my only friend for a while, it saved my life and brought me joy when I didn’t have any.
> 
> I hope this series has brought you some joy too.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr: [its-the-neon-bible](http://its-the-neon-bible.tumblr.com/)


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